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Incense Brazier
Not on view
Esoteric Buddhist rituals call for a number of accoutrements, one of the most important of which is an altar laden with offerings to a deity. The incense brazier, or kasha (literally, "fire house"), which contains incense for the purification of both the deity and the celebrant, stands at the center of the altar. This kasha consists of three parts: a tray-like main chamber standing on three sturdy legs, a middle section, and a dome-shaped lid surmounted by a knob in the form of a jewel. The incense smoke exits the dome through six openings in the shape of drifting clouds. The balanced proportions of the brazier, with its gently modeled curves and lid with sloping shoulders, make it one of the finest examples of its type from the Kamakura period.
Based on original work by Miyeko Murase (Bridge of Dreams: The Mary Griggs Burke Collection of Japanese Art [New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000], cat. no. 29).
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