KOMAI OTOJIRŌ (1842-1917) A Fine Inlaid-Iron Circular Lobed Charger Meiji era (1868-1912), circa 1875-1880Property of various ownersKOMAI OTOJIRŌ (1842-1917)A Fine Inlaid-Iron Circular Lobed Charger Meiji era (1868-1912), circa 1875-1880Set on a low ring foot, the iron charger inlaid in gold and silver with a central panel decorated in high-relief inlays of gold, silver and copper with Minamoto Nakakuni playing a flute while seated on a horse beneath a pine tree by a villa, his attendant beside him with a water ladle, all bordered by a narrow key fret band and large shippō (lozenges) of phoenixes, Chinese lions, tigers, and dragons surrounded by geometric designs and punctuated by stylized phoenixes, the rim decorated with fruiting grape vines, singed in a rectangular reserve Dai Nihon Kyōto no jū Komai sei 15 3/4in (40cm) diameterThe design on this charger is taken from an episode in Tales of the Heike. Lady Kogō's great beauty caught the eye of Emperor Takakura (reigned 1168-1180) and he made her his concubine. However, court intrigue forced her to flee the capital and live in exile in Sagano, west of Kyoto. Heartbroken, the Emperor sent the courtier Nakakuni to search for her. At the imperial court Nakakuni had accompanied Lady Kogō's koto on a flute. Upon learning where Kogō was staying, Nakakuni went there on a moonlit night. When he heard her playing koto, he alerted her to his presence by playing accompanying notes on the flute.