Adrian and Jane Jefferies of Unit 46w have at the moment this beautiful antique bronze hand mirror from Japan in their unit here at Hungerford Arcade. It dates to the Edo period (1600-1868), this particular mirror is 18th Century.
Bronze mirrors were introduced into Japan from China and Korea around 300 BC – AD 300, originally used as religious function and symbols of authority. The Japanese however soon learned how to make their own mirrors, richly decorated with Chinese or native Japanese designs.
By AD 710 – 794 (Nara Period) mirrors were in everyday use decorated with native plants and animals to bring good fortune. Mirrors from the Edo period were often given at weddings decorated with lucky symbols or Chinese characters.
Our mirror is decorated with a miniature landscape, Peacocks stand beneath a flowering Plum tree, beside a waterfall and a winding stream.
The mirror is inscribed Fujiwara Masashige saku (‘Made by Masashige of the Fujiwara family). The craftsperson who made mirrors often were of high status in Japan, because together with the sword and the jewel, mirrors formed part of Imperial regalia.
