Japanese ceramic incense burner with peach pattern, MOMO, 8.5 x 11 cm

Peach leaves, momo in Japanese, adorn the surface of this cult perfume burner. Due to its great symbolic value, this fruit dear to the Japanese is a recurring theme of decoration.
- In the popular tale Kojiki, the ancient god Izanagi-no-Mikoto puts the demon to flight by throwing a peach at it.
- In the eponymous tale, the courageous Momotaro, a child born in a peach, manages to defeat the evil spirits and saves the inhabitants of his village.
- Finally, the delicious taste of peach earned it the name of "gift from the gods" in Japan.

The manufacture of this incense burner follows the methods of Arita ceramics. Made from gold leaf on a vermilion-red base, this is an exclusive piece of exceptional refinement. Fill it with rice ash so that you can stick the Japanese incense sticks in it. Having no bamboo support, they then burn completely without leaving a trace.

About Arita ceramics
The city of Arita in Saga Prefecture is the birthplace of ceramics in Japan. At the beginning of the 17th century, a Korean by the name of Ri Sampei settled in the region. Thanks to his mastery of high temperature kilns and the proximity of a kaolin deposit, Ri Sampei was able to manufacture ceramic similar to that of the Chinese, thus ending a monopoly of seven centuries. Very popular in the 18th century, Arita ceramics were widely exported to Europe and contributed to the prosperity of the region.