This antique
wooden scale was probably used by an apothecary
to weigh medicinal herbs and the like. Found at the morning market in the
fishing village of Wajima, we named it after Ōtomo no Yakamochi, an 8th century
poet and statesman, who was at one time the governor of the region. During his
tenure, Yakamochi wrote many a lyrical lament about how lonely he was out on
the lovely, yet isolated Noto Peninsula. We think his poems and this compact
scale have a certain aesthetic in common, known in Japan as wabi-sabi.
More
Wabi-sabi
is the marriage of two old aesthetic ideals: wabi, which connotes a kind of rustic, simplicity, and sabi, which celebrates the “bloom of
time.” Leonard Koren, who wrote a whole book about it,...
Read More
Wabi-sabi
is the marriage of two old aesthetic ideals: wabi, which connotes a kind of rustic, simplicity, and sabi, which celebrates the “bloom of
time.” Leonard Koren, who wrote a whole book about it, describes wabi-sabi as
“a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.” The idea is deeply
tied to Buddhist philosophy, and manifests itself in design as asymmetry,
simplicity and modesty. Wabi-sabi is the cracked cup, the wilted flower, the
frayed edge of a cloth and the weathered wood of an old gate. Think twice
before you throw away your chipped dishware!
Read Less
Details and Dimensions
10" long. Carrying case slides open to reveal a bamboo or bone measuring stick with attached scale and balance weight. The scale shows appropriate wear and tear for its age and one of the threads attaching the scale to the measuring is broken
