K008 - Inaho 稲穂

Fuchi Kashira with rice ear motif (Inaho 稲穂).

• Material: Copper, silver gilt finish on gold gilt ibushi
• Fuchi (縁) Dimensions: Length 40 mm, Width 23 mm, Height 13.5 mm
• Kashira (頭) Dimensions: Length 35.5 mm, Width 19 mm, Height 10.5 mm

Rice is the staple food in Japan as well as East Asia and is the symbol of Japanese food culture.
Rice stalks bow when ripe and shine beautifully in the sun during harvest time. The more downward the rice stalks are bent, the more grains they contain. The curvature is an expression of humility.
The Japanese of the past compared this to the idea that the wiser a person becomes, the more humility he or she develops.