Large Hook for a Kettle (Jizaigake)
n.d.
Artist unknown Japanese, active late 19th/early 20th century
Japan
This hook, known as a jizaigake, would have been used in a wealthy farmhouse to hold a kettle on a chain above a hearth. Its slanted top is in the shape of the hat of one of the gods of good fortune, Daikoku. It is most likely made of keyaki (zelkova) wood, which exhibits a distinctive flamelike grain.
Wood