| Dried abalone (hoshi-awabi) and dried sea cucumber (hoshi-namako) have long been regarded as the finest preserved foods, traditionally offered to the Imperial Court and the shogunate and served on formal occasions of hospitality. As preserved rather than fresh foods, they evoke ideas of preparedness, reserves, and endurance in prolonged campaigns, resonating with the pragmatic values of warriors who survived the Warring States period. The motif may thus be understood as reflecting the aesthetic sensibilities of the samurai, who esteemed formality, preparedness, loyalty, and cultural refinement.This rare pair of menuki depicts dried abalone and dried sea cucumber. The work is attributed to Ko-kinkō, a general classification referring to Muromachi-period metalwork that cannot be specifically assigned to established schools such as Gotō, Kyō, or Mino. It was approved at the 2023 Hozon Tōsōgu Shinsa. |
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