Description
Overview
This is a full-size Japanese komodaru (菰樽), a ceremonial sake barrel from the Nihonsakari (日本盛) brewery of Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, one of the historic sake-producing districts of the Nada region. A coopered cedar cask is wrapped in woven straw matting (komo) and lashed with heavy hand-twisted straw rope. Barrels like this are central to kagami-biraki, the celebratory breaking-open of a sake cask at weddings, New Year’s gatherings, business openings and festivals. They are also displayed as offerings at Shinto shrines.
At about 22″ tall and 22″ across, the barrel is consistent with the standard 4-to size, which holds roughly 72 liters (about 19 gallons). That is the largest common ceremonial size and the one most associated with formal celebrations.
The piece was possibly acquired during one of Tom Muir Wilson’s Camera World Tours / Craft World Tours programs to Japan, a destination documented in a 1992 CWT newsletter.
Local pickup only, Rochester, NY area. Because of its size and weight, this barrel is not available for shipping.
Design & Craftsmanship
- Function & Form: A cylindrical coopered cask, likely Japanese cedar (sugi), which is visible at the base beneath the wrapping. It measures about 22″ high x 22″ in diameter. The traditional straw-rope lashing forms carrying handles and a knotted star pattern across the top and bottom.
- Artistry & Ornamentation: The printed front panel carries the brand name 日本盛 in bold black brush-style characters over a red floral crest, framed by pine branches and fine feathered pine-needle linework, all traditional felicitous motifs. The left side reads 百姓昭明 協和萬邦 in red, a classical phrase from the Chinese Book of Documents that is the source of the Shōwa (1926–1989) reign name, used here as a celebratory motto. A boxed seal reads 西宮酒造 (Nishinomiya Shuzō). The right side is marked 商標 (trademark), 特撰 (tokusen, “special select” grade), and 清酒 (seishu, refined sake) in red cloud cartouches.
- Structural Base: The plain straw back carries a stenciled rectangular block of brewer or shipping text and a circled mark. The Shōwa-derived motto and the Nishinomiya Shuzō seal, which appears to be the brewery’s earlier company name, suggest production in the mid-to-late Shōwa period, likely before 2000.
Condition Report
- Surface Condition: The printed panel is grayed and soiled with age but fully legible. The straw komo is frayed at the rope ends and around the top and bottom, and there are a few pulled or knotted areas in the plain back matting. A modern cream cord has been added around the middle as a later binding. Overall it has a natural, weathered, rustic patina.
- Structural Integrity: The cask holds its shape, and the rope lashing is intact and secure. Interior condition has not been inspected, and the barrel is presumed empty. This item is sold “as-is” with all associated patina and wear inherent to its age and history as part of the Craft World Tours Collection.
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