9. Gilt-Bronze Zuicho Incense Burner

This is the Gilt-Bronze Zuicho Incense Burner, exhibited in 1932 at the Thirteenth Imperial Art Exhibition, the Teiten. First, take a slow look at the whole form. Upon a round bowl, a Zuicho — an auspicious bird designed from a peacock — stands poised and dignified. At the time, the very idea of establishing an incense burner itself as a single sculptural work was highly novel, and it is said to have attracted great attention at the exhibition. Please look also at the expression of the feathers. Each and every feather is composed of curves full of rise and fall, and the patterns worked into their surfaces harmonize beautifully with the tones of the gilt bronze. Within it breathe, at once, a tension and a grace that are characteristic of Shodo. Common to all of Shodo's works is a kind of forming that seals within the metal the instant just before movement begins. In this Zuicho Incense Burner, too, beneath a crisp stillness drifts a faint presence of life. Please change your angle as you view it, and take your time with the overlapping of the feathers and the depth of their patterns.