A Japanese hearth hook, jizai, of keyaki (zelkova) wood. The hook, formed from the crotch of a tree, would have originally hung from a ceiling beam over the sunken hearth, irori, for suspension of a kettle or pot above the fire. The hook with fine color and areas of patina from exposure to smoke, particularly where access for cleaning was difficult. With suspension pegs and deep groove where the kettle’s rope passed through the hook. On contemporary metal stand .
19th century
19½” high x 19” wide x 6” thick
