Vase in a swirling pinwheel form, of hammered copper with an applied powdered gold patina. Signed on the reverse with a chiseled signature by the artist, Shiro Saku or Made by Shiro (Sekiya Shiro, 1907 – 1994). Showa era, circa 1983.

With the tomobako or original box, inscribed on the exterior of the lid: Kin Keshi Tsubo or Powdered Gold Vase, and signed and sealed on the reverse.

Sekiya Shiro was a master of metal forging art. He studied under Kawachi Somei. Awarded the honor of Ningen Kokuho or National Living Treasure, he exhibited widely and won many prizes for his work, among them the President’s Prize of the Nihon Dento Kogeiten. His work is in the collections of the Tokyo Museum of Modern Art and the Akita Prefectural Art Museum.

The soft hammer marks covering the surface of the vase reflect the tankin technique developed by Sekiya Shiro. Rather than working the copper directly, other metals were held between the vase and the hammer, softening and changing the pattern of the strokes.

For a similar vase by Shiro in the collection of the Akita Prefectural Art Museum, c.f. Showa Bunka Isan: Volume 8, number 48, dated to 1983.