Crafts

A saddle, yet far more than one. Crafted in the late Heian period, this raden (mother-of-pearl inlay) masterpiece shimmers with oak branches and watchful owls set against deep black lacquer. Once associated with figures like Minamoto no Yoritomo and later passed through the Ashikaga and Hosokawa lineages, it carries echoes of power, literature, and belief. More than a functional object, it reveals how even tools of movement could embody stillness, symbolism, and refined craft

A single strike, and the air begins to change. This 13th-century Peacock-Motif Gong from Kamakura Japan is more than a ritual instrument—it is a meeting point of sound, symbolism, and craftsmanship. Cast in bronze and adorned with elegant peacocks, it reflects a journey from ancient Chinese stone chimes to Japanese Buddhist practice, where even the smallest sound carries meaning.