Antique Japanese Wall-Mounted Object / Rusted Tin Wall Art / Meiji-Showa / Ob336

Details

Description

This is a tool once used in Japan called a hoiro, a device used to knead and dry tea leaves … Read more This is a tool once used in Japan called a hoiro, a device used to knead and dry tea leaves after they had been steamed. It is believed to date from the Meiji to early Showa period and to have been used somewhere in the northern Kanto region. In rural life of the past, just as rice and wild mountain vegetables were often grown and gathered locally, tea was also something people produced for themselves within their own communities. This hoiro is one such tool that supported that kind of daily life.

The wooden frame is made of sugi (Japanese cedar), covered with a sheet of tin. Traditionally, the inside of a hoiro was lined with washi paper, and tea leaves were placed and kneaded directly on that paper surface as they dried. In this particular piece, however, no washi remains. It is possible that the paper naturally came away through years of use and aging, or that it was removed at some later point for another reason. As a result, what can be seen today is the bare expression of the wooden frame and the tin sheet itself.

The greatest charm of this piece lies in the rusted texture that spreads across both the front, where the wooden frame faces outward, and the back. Over many years of oxidation, the rust has developed in gradations ranging from reddish brown to near black, giving the surface an appearance reminiscent of an abstract painting. The back side carries a different rust pattern from the front, so depending on which side you choose to display, the piece offers a distinctly different expression. We drilled one hole at each of the upper left and right edges so that it can be hung on a wall with nails in a vertical orientation. Please note that the current hole positions are intended for vertical display; if you would like to hang it horizontally, we recommend adding holes yourself.

Both the wooden frame and the tin sheet are free of major damage, and the piece is ready to be enjoyed hung on a wall as is. The tin surface shows some gentle unevenness and waviness from age, which we hope you will appreciate as part of the character built up over its long history. Once a humble tool that supported daily life by finishing tea leaves, in a contemporary space this piece is transformed-hung on a white wall or in an exposed-concrete setting-into a wall object with the presence of a piece of contemporary art. Along with the enjoyment of choosing which face to display, front or back, this is a truly one-of-a-kind piece.

Size: W88cm x D14cm x H101cm
Weight: 6kg
Item No.: OB336

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