| The Gohei-zaru (monkey with a gohei) depicts a monkey wearing a Shintō priest’s eboshi cap and holding a gohei, the ritual wand with paper streamers used in shrine ceremonies. In Japanese belief the monkey is regarded as a messenger of the gods, and a monkey carrying a gohei is considered an auspicious motif that wards off misfortune and brings good fortune.This piece is a pair of solid gold menuki attributed (kiwame) to the Ichinomiya school. The Ichinomiya school was a Kyoto metalworking group of the late Edo period founded by the celebrated master Ichinomiya Nagatsune (一宮長常). Influenced by painters such as Maruyama Ōkyo (円山応挙) and Ishida Yūtei (石田幽亭), the school is known for naturalistic depictions of flowers, birds, animals, and historical figures, executed with great precision in techniques such as high-relief colored metal inlay (takabori iroe) and katakiribori engraving with flat inlay.These fittings passed the NBTHK Hozon Tōsōgu shinsa in 2011. |
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