The design of ears of rice is an auspicious design that represents bountiful harvests, safety of the household, and prosperity in business. This metal artisan, Yoshioka Inabanosuke (Yoshioka family), was a prestigious family that prospered throughout the Edo period, from the first Shigetsugu (who moved to Edo during the Keicho period) to the ninth Shigesada (who died in 1869), as craftsmen employed by the Tokugawa shogunate, along with the Goto family and others. Most of the inscriptions from the fourth generation onwards are written with five characters, "Yoshioka Inabanosuke[吉岡因幡介]," and the mei/signatures are all similar, making it difficult to distinguish between generations. This kogai depicts ear of rice on the shakudo Nanako pattern ground, inscribed with Yoshioka Inabanosuke. It has passed Hozon shinsa in August 2024. |