Extremely Rare Cloisonné Paperweight Diameter: 8cm 12-sided Thickness: Approximately 7mm Weight: Approximately 222g Comes in a Paulownia Wood Box Made by Ando Cloisonné Company, with Seal Excellent Condition I received this from an acquaintance some time ago, but as I don't need a paperweight, it has been sitting in a drawer. It comes in a Paulownia wood box, with the words "Made by Ando Cloisonné Company" and a seal inside the box. An instruction manual in both Japanese and English is included in the box. Below is the Japanese explanation: —About the Straight Arc Pattern Mirror that was the prototype for this emblem— A Japanese copper mirror decorated with a straight arc pattern, which is a clever combination of straight lines and arcs, and a beautiful design. Diameter 28.5 cm. This design is original to Japan, and while it is based on the long-legged conch shells from the South Seas, which were considered sacred, it is beautifully finished with a powerful imagination, and the round mirror back is very well put together. Although it retains the design of the four-leaf clover and the band of connected arcs of the Chinese Han-style mirror in the knob seat, it is freed from the complex thoughts of the immortals and shows a purely Japanese sensibility. Production was in the late fourth century. It was discovered along with more than thirty foreign mirrors from the same design from the mausoleum reference site called the Shinyama Kofun, a keyhole-shaped tomb in Oaza Otsuka, Koryo-cho, Kitakatsuragi-gun, Nara Prefecture. Preserved by the Imperial Household Agency Archives and Mausolea Department. Ando Cloisonné Company: Founded in 1880, shortly after the birth of modern cloisonné, it is one of the few companies that can offer both unique cloisonné products backed by the high skills of craftsmen and reasonable products with a strong and stable production system. It has its main store in Nagoya and branches in Ginza and other locations. Cloisonné takes its name from the beauty of the seven treasures in Buddhist scriptures. (From the company's website) You can refer to the company's website for more information on cloisonné and the company's history. The company's website also sells similar paperweights in its mail-order catalog. The cloisonné paperweight in this listing has characters indicating its origin and purpose on the back. The characters "October 13, 1968" can be read, but unfortunately, I cannot decipher the rest due to my eyesight (ability?). The material is also unknown. The Paulownia wood box shows signs of aging, but the paperweight inside is in like-new condition (please judge from the photos). It will be protected with a PP bag and cushioning material and shipped anonymously. In addition to this item, I also have CDs, books by Haruki Murakami, mainly novels and first editions, as well as tableware and women's wear, so please take a look if you are interested.