Cigarette case box metal damascened gold silver Japan Komai Mount Fuji 19th century
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Japanese cigarette case in damascened metal (gold and silver inlays) in Nunome Zogan, signed Komai*, representing a wooded landscape with Mount Fuji, from the Meiji period (1868-1912) late 19th-early 20th centuries.
This case is in good overall condition. Signed Komai on the back monogram stamp (Ade W?)
Please note: some slight traces of oxidation on the metal, micro-scratches and wear and tear, see photos.
The Komai family is perhaps one of the most famous metalworkers of the Meiji era. The family workshop, S. Komai Shoten, was founded in 1841 at 70 Shinmonzen Street, Kyoto, by Komai Seibei, a sword fittings maker. In 1853, Seibei created a form of damascene work, Nunome Zogan (inlaid with thin sheets of gold or silver on a rough surface) which he used to adorn and decorate swords, pistols, daggers, and various types of sword fittings. From then until 1941, the workshop was billed as "S. Komai, the originator of Zogan or damascene work."