Vintage · Made in Japan · one of one
Kutani porcelain · incense burner · 15.4 cm
Kutani Ware Incense Burner
A square Kutani incense burner, painted with landscape panels, a small guardian lion sitting on the lid.
$135 Free shipping to 32 countries
Order by December 8 to make sure it arrives before Christmas.
We ship to mainland China: free, tracked. Import duties, if any, are paid on delivery. Where we ship
A gift for luck and protection · a new home
Leaves Fukuoka within three business days by EMS, with tracking.
The story: Kutani wareWatch the 64-second film, or read it →What buyers say · ★★★★★ on Etsy
“Received updates regarding the item I purchased and when it arrived could tell that it was packed with care; my fragile ceramic bunny arrived in perfect condition! A wonderful purchase and I would buy from this shop again”
Jessica · United States
1 more from buyers
“Item was as described and in photos shown. Excellent quality. Seller very knowledgable and took the time to explain everything”
Tiang N. · Australia
- Made in Japan. Made in Japan, found in Japan, and sent to you from Fukuoka.
- One of one. This exact piece, photographed in our studio in Fukuoka.
- Returns within 14 days of delivery. Not right? Send it back as it came and we refund the full price, return postage included.
- Packed safely, sent by EMS within three business days, fully insured, with tracking.
Duties, checkout and extras
- ★ 5.0 on Etsy · Star Seller. Read the reviews ↗
- Import tax. It depends on your country; if any is due, it is collected on delivery.
- US import duties. Already included in the price: nothing to pay at your door.
- Secure checkout by Stripe — cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay. No account needed.
- Two pieces, one parcel. Each extra piece in the same order is $15 off at checkout.
- Orders of $200 or more travel with a gift to keep: Japanese chopsticks with a rest in a paulownia box, or a Nara kaya-cloth handkerchief.
The story
In the treasure house of Tōdai-ji in Nara lies a single log of aloeswood, over a metre and a half long, more than a thousand years old. It is called Ranjatai. Its scent was thought to be the finest in the world, and only the most powerful people in Japan were allowed to touch it. The shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa had a piece cut from it. So did Oda Nobunaga, and later the Emperor Meiji. Those three cuts are still marked on the wood with small paper tags.
Most of us will never smell Ranjatai. Lighting a stick of incense at home is the same small act, a few minutes set apart.
The craft
Kutani ware; the base carries the fuku mark, the character for good fortune in a square. The square body balances flowing landscape painting against straight lines. The shishi on the lid is a guardian figure, watching over the smoke as it rises.
Living with it
A desk, a bookshelf, a quiet corner where you sit in the evening. If you are someone who needs a moment to change gears after work, this is a good place to find it. A gift for a friend who meditates, or who simply likes a room to smell good.
• Kutani ware, porcelain koro with lid • Vintage • Made in Japan
How it travels
Packed safely, insured in full
Every piece is packed by hand in Fukuoka, in its wooden box, inside a sturdy 3 mm corrugated carton, cushioned all round with air pillows so it cannot move. It travels with tracking all the way to your door: by EMS, insured for its full value, on orders of $100 or more, and by tracked airmail below that.
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A question about this piece — size, marks, condition? Ask the house, we answer within a day.