K031 - Hotaru 蛍

Kashira features moonlit fireflies (Hotaru 蛍).

• Material: Brass, Copper gold on Ibushi gold finish
• Fuchi Dimensions (縁): 42.5 mm long, 25 mm wide, 12.5 mm high
• Kashira (頭) Dimensions: 36 mm long, 18 mm wide, 6.5 mm high

For the ancient Japanese, fireflies were a symbol of love and war. It was the quintessential sign of summer in endless poems and children's songs, the motif of lacquered objects and sword furniture, and the centerpiece of a charming episode in the world's first novel, The tale of Genji, in which the hero offers his brother a glimpse of the face of a beautiful woman by releasing a bag full of fireflies in his room.
In other legends, they are said to have been the spirits of fallen warriors during the monumental 12th-century battle between the Minamoto and Taira clans, the Genpei War (源平合戦).