Bizen dog tea ceremony kogo, vintage japanese dog with bib incense box, buy japanese interior

Love Japanese Style Like We Do

bizen dog tea ceremony kogo, vintage japanese dog with bib incense box, japanese interior

(listing for boxed kogo only)

This listing is for a Japanese kogo, or incense box, used in the Japanese tea ceremony. It is in the shape of a dog, one of the twelve lucky symbols of the Japanese zodiac. This kogo was made to celebrate the Year of the Dog and also makes a great ornament for those born in the Year of the Dog.

This dog wears a fluted bib and is named a Hagoromo Chin. In the Edo era it was very popular for the more wealthy to keep a small dog as a pet. This style of dog was called ‘chin'. At that time people also enjoyed dressing their dog in clothes that humans would wear, a custom called ‘Hagoromo'. Colorful bibs were especially popular and the dogs became know as Hagoromo Chin.

The vintage kogo is Bizen ware; a ceramic made in Okayama with a lovely rustic, earthy feeling. The dog sits calmly, tail curled, totally at home in it's attire.

The kogo is in very good condition, with no chips or cracks. It is signed on the base by the artist, Kimura Yukei and comes in it's original paper box.

Kogo are beautiful little miniatures representing many aspects of traditional Japanese life, customs and seasonal events and as such make lovely, meaningful collection pieces.

- kogo measures 6 cm (2.4”) across x 4 cm (1.6”) tall x 4 cm (1.6”) deep.
- weighs 130 gm.

To see other kogo or tea ceremony related items, click on this link: https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/shop/JapanDownUnder?ref=shop_sugg§ion_id=26711081

To see the tray and other trays and shelves, please click on this link: https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/shop/JapanDownUnder?ref=shop_sugg§ion_id=27008495

To see the abacus and other mingei, click on this link: https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/shop/JapanDownUnder?ref=shop_sugg§ion_id=26920699

To see the vases and other vases please click this link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JapanDownUnder?ref=shop_sugg§ion_id=28200544

SHIPPING INFORMATION
- please read the shipping notes in our shop announcement.

LINK TO OUR ETSY HOMEPAGE:
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/JapanDownUnder?ref=search_shop_redirect

KOGO
Kogo are gorgeous little lidded boxes used to store incense for the Japanese tea ceremony and they make wonderful collection pieces. There are two kinds of incense boxes. One is a pottery box and is used to store the rolled incense used in the cooler months. The other is made of wood or bamboo. This is used as a scented wood chip container in the warmer months.

Incense from the kogo is placed in the charcoal fire where the water is heated to make tea. It emits a wonderful fragrance as the charcoal gets hotter and hotter filling the entire tea room.

Kogo come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are related to the seasons; cherry blossoms and Hina dolls in spring; morning glories in summer. Others come in animal shapes of the Japanese zodiac, like a dragon, a rabbit, a tiger, or a dog. There are fans, moons, lucky symbols and many other lovely designs.

BIZEN WARE
Bizen pottery is one buy of the most famous types of Japanese pottery with a history that stretches back over a 1000 years. Bizen pottery doesn't use ornate coloring or painting it uses only the natural patterns created by the clay and the firing technique. Because of this the shape and character of each piece is different making every Bizen ceramic unique.

Bizen is named after the village of Imbe, Bizen in Okayama prefecture. Bizen is one of the Six Ancient Kilns in Japan. It experienced its peak during the Momoyama period of the 16th century. During the Edo period, the Ikeda lords of Okayama continued to support the kilns and gave special privileges to families who operated them. The rustic quality of Bizen made it popular for use in Japanese tea ceremony. After modernization began during the Meiji era in the 19th century, Bizen almost disappeared along with many other traditional crafts. It experienced a revival in the 1930's and in 1982 was designated a traditional Japanese craft by the government.

It is made using either a mixture of two kinds of clays with different densities, or rough clay that has a rich, deep, reddish brown color. Pottery pieces are placed in a climbing kiln (noborigama) and pine wood is used as fuel. Climbing kilns are set up on hillside terraces in a step-like manner. The position of the pottery inside the kiln changes the firing conditions, so that nobody can predict how each piece will turn out!

Some artists like their kiln temperature at 600 degrees celsius, while others prefer more than 1,200 degrees. Some of the pieces end up destroyed inside the kiln after burning for more than 7 days. On the other hand some can turn out to be masterpieces! Because of it's color and simplicity Bizen ware is so versatile and easy to use.

DOGS IN JAPAN
The Japanese word for "dog" is inu. Typical Japanese dogs are Akita, Tosa, and Shiba breeds. The dog's bark is referred to as 'wan-wan'.

In Japan, dogs are believed to have been domesticated as early as 10,000 BC in the Jomon period. White dogs are considered to be very auspicious and often feature in folk tales. In the Edo period, the fifth shogun, Tokugawa Tsuneyoshi who was an ardent Buddhist, ordered the protection of all animals, in particular dogs. Apparently, his regulations regarding dogs were so extreme that he was mocked and called the Inu Shogun.

There is a well known story about a Japanese dog called Hachiko from the 1920s. At the end of each workday, Hachiko met his master at Shibuya station in Tokyo. One day Hachiko's master died at work and didn't return to meet Hachiko at the station. After this, Hachiko continued to wait at the station to greet his master for 10 years. As a result, Hachiko became a symbol of devotion and after he died his body was put in a museum and a bronze statue was made of him and put in front of Shibuya Station.

The dog is the 11th symbol in the Japanese Zodiac. People born in the year of the dog are thought to have all the finer qualities of human nature. They are very loyal, have a deep sense of duty, are very honest and always give their best in their relationships. They also know how to keep secrets and they easily inspire confidence in others.