Qing Dynasty Glasses 清朝の乾隆ガラス

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Housed at the Tokyo National Museum, these glass products were all made in China during the Qing dynasty. They are so colorful that I first thought they were crafted in the Middle East. These vibrant pieces are known as Qianlong glass, named after the 6th Qing emperor.

Pottery Pillow 陶製枕（三彩印花唐草文枕）

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This ceramic pillow is glazed in three colors and features a stamped arabesque design. It was made in China in the 8th century. Still, I can't help thinking: who could actually sleep on a pillow like that? 😆 This is one of 496 pieces in the collection donated to the Tokyo National Museum by the late Japanese art dealer Matsushige Hirota (1897–1973).

A Scepter Set 時計付き笏（如意型時計）

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If you're exhausted and need a pick-me-up, you should go to the Toyokan (Asian Gallery) of the Tokyo National Museum to see this! Housed inside, it’s a 19th-century Chinese scepter set with a European watch, colored glass, pearls, and enamel paintings. Qing dynasty emperors totally adored imported timepieces. I stood in front of this brilliant, colorful scepter and just stared at it for a few minutes.

Grapes 紫水晶葡萄

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Housed at the Tokyo National Museum, Grapes is a 19th-century amethyst sculpture crafted in the qiaose style—a technique that uses the stone's natural color variations to bring out its purple hues.

Incense Burner 翡翠香炉

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Carved from jade in 19th-century China during the Qing dynasty and housed at the Tokyo National Museum, this incense burner uses the qiaose technique—a style of carving that utilizes the stone's natural color variations to highlight the green of the jade.

Chinese Sculpture - Agate Pomegranate 瑪瑙石榴

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It seems so fresh and so real, doesn't it? I've eaten pomegranates only a few times and don't remember what they tasted like, but when I set eyes on this red stone craft, I wanted to take a bite of it!

This piece, titled 'Pomegranate,' is a 19th-century Chinese sculpture housed in the Toyo Kan (Asian Gallery) of the Tokyo National Museum. I originally thought it was ceramic, but it is actually made of agate with rubies inlaid as the seeds. 

Money Tree 揺銭樹

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This 2-meter-tall bronze tree, decorated with more than 400 bronze coins, is known as the 'Money Tree,' and is housed at the Tokyo National Museum. Despite the name, the tree has not only financial significance, but also religious significance.

Many money trees were crafted during the first and second centuries under China's Han dynasty, placed inside tombs as sacred burial art to guide the deceased's soul and ensure infinite wealth in the paradise of Xiwangmu (the Queen Mother of the West).

Crown Decorated with Cicada Design 蟬文冠飾

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This 5 cm-wide and 5 cm-tall gilt-bronze crown is housed at the Tokyo National Museum. Its color is striking, and its cicada design—typical of ancient bronze works—is exquisite.

Interestingly, in ancient China, the cicada was deeply revered as a symbol of rebirth, immortality, moral purity, and high nobility, whereas in Japan, it was perceived primarily as a poetic symbol of impermanence (mujō), transience, melancholy, and the passing of summer.

Netsuke 'Nue' (Legendary Monster) 「鵺」😱

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What do you think this netsuke depicts? This is a boxwood netsuke titled "Nue," carved by Meishu Kawahara. 

Nue originally referred to—and still means—the scaly thrush, a bird about 30 cm long known for the male's loud, far-carrying mechanical whistle. These days, however, the term is better known as a legendary monster with the head of a monkey, the legs of a tiger, the body of a dog, and the tail of a snake, which is said to cry like a nue.

Pale Grass Blue (Pseudozizeeria Maha) 大和小灰蝶（ヤマトシジミ）

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A male pale grass blue butterfly (Pseudozizeeria maha) looks completely different depending on whether its wings are open (1st photo) or closed (2nd photo). With its wings closed, you might overlook it as a plain, small grey-and-white butterfly with black spots. When it opens them, however, you are greeted by the striking pale blue upperside that gives the species its name. (See the 5th photo to view both sides at once.) Because butterflies bask in the sun to warm their bodies, you are more likely to catch a glimpse of that vibrant blue during cooler sunny days.

The pale grass blue resembles the plains cupid (Luthrodes pandava) very much, except the latter has orange spots on its wings. I once mistook a plains cupid for a pale grass blue.

2025/11/2

Skunkvine (Paederia Foetida) 屁糞葛（ヘクソカズラ）

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Skunkvine (Paederia foetida) is native to Asia and can be found across Japan. Because it is notoriously smelly, its Japanese name is hekusokazura, which translates to 'fart-dung vine.' The plant is so resilient that an imperial court official during the Nara period (710–794) wrote a waka poem comparing his own tenacity to the plant. The poem appears in the Manyōshū, the oldest extant collection of Japanese waka poetry.

Despite its terrible name and smell, the flower's glossy red center always reminds me of jam thumbprint cookies.

2026/8/14