{"id":8672839532694,"title":"A rare and important 17th\/early 18th century Japanese silver and parcel gilt buckle\/clasp with\u0026nbsp;exceptionally rare Christian decoration.","handle":"a-rare-and-important-17th-early-18th-century-japanese-silver-and-parcel-gilt-buckle-clasp-with-nbsp-exceptionally-rare-christian-decoration","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eA rare and important 17th\/early 18th century Japanese silver and parcel gilt buckle\/clasp with exceptionally rare Christian decoration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe history of trade between Japan and the West is a fascinating study of cultural attitudes and barriers. Before the late 16th century Japan had limited contact with other cultures, the exceptions being Korea and of course China. The arrival in 1543 of a Potuguese ship (blown off course by a\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003etyphoon) was an event of exceptional significance to the isolationist orientated government of Japan. Eager to trade with Japan, the Portuguese soon established more formal traffic through the port of Nagasaki, and in 1549 the Jesuit priest Francis Xavier (1506 – 52) arrived in the country and founded the first Christian mission.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eFor the Japanese, any initial feelings of alarm caused by the appearance of the nanban-jin, or 'southern barbarians', as the Portuguese were called, was soon overshadowed by the exotic appeal of these curious visitors and the effects can be seen in Japanese art of the period. The arrival of Christianity also had a profound effect on Japan. The Catholic mission founded by Xavier was one of the most successful in Asia. By the early 1590s there were an estimated 215,000 Japanese Christians.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAt that time the Imperial Regent of Japan, Toyotomi Hideoshi (1537 – 98), began to sense that an allegiance to the Christian God would threaten his own authority and so issued a decree in 1587 expelling all Christians. This edict was never carried out, but persecutions and executions of Christians occurred under the later rule of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542 – 1616) and his successors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eFollowing the success of the Portuguese other European powers were soon attempting to gain access to Japan. The first Dutch ship arrived in 1600, and in 1609 the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, or VOC) established a trading factory in Hirado. Following the expulsion of the Portuguese in 1639, the Dutch became the only Europeans allowed to remain in Japan. They were forced to move to Dejima, a tiny artificial island in Nagasaki Bay and closely supervised.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe political instability in Japan during the late 16th and early 17th centuries was to a degree influenced by the many conversions and the association between Christians and a series of rebellions led to harsher repression and eventually the banning of Christianity and the expulsion of all Europeans saving the Dutch. While the crackdown on Christianity was deliberately harsh, missionaries, notably the Jesuits, continued to teach and proselytize through an intricate underground network.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eDespite the restrictions placed on foreign trade and relations, Japan in the period after 1639 was not entirely closed to foreign influence and after 1720 Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684 – 1751) relaxed the rules regarding the importation of foreign books which naturally influenced Japanese learning and culture providing an important alternative to dominant intellectual practices derived from China.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe form of the buckle is a restrained Baroque cartouche with the edge defined by a series of ornamental mouldings some incorporating acanthus leaf decoration and demonstrating a knowledge of contemporary European design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe central element of the buckle is decorated with the Agnus Dei, symbol of Christ and St John the Baptist, and an eagle, symbol of St John the Evangelist. The only overtly Christian symbol is the cross held by the lamb. The role of St John the Evangelist is emphasised by the small ink pot with two brushes next to the eagle which highlight his traditional role as the author of the Book of Revelation.These two saints were particularly venerated by missionaries for their roles in recognising Christ and their evangelism, a central tenant especially of Jesuit missionaries in this period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eNext to the pot is a book which we can surmise is a bible. On the cover we can see an ume mon (peach blossom) which may represent the Oda clan, a samurai family who were also daimyo (feudal lords) that played an important role in Japan during this period. The buckle may have been produced by an artisan under their protection or it may have been produced for one of the extended family with Christian connections or beliefs and therefore adorned with their mon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAt the apex there is a representation of the eye of providence with its rays descending towards the emblems. The eye represents God watching over humanity and the rays his will which emphasises the roles of the two saints in recognising the divinity of Christ and its recording.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAs Christianity had effectively been forced underground, the craftsman has produced a work that to a cursory eye would not be overly Christian. The cross held by the Agnus Dei is far from prominent and the banner that wraps round it helps to negate its appearance. Similarly, using symbols to convey the Christian meaning through the lamb and eagle would be more acceptable and less obvious than a saintly figure or Christ himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe scale and shape of the buckle suggests that rather simply being for a belt it may have been used as a clap, either for a cloak or possibly for an ecclesiastical vestment. As such it is a rare an fascinating survival of a period of outward isolationism and anti-Christian policies in Japan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMeasurements:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWidth: 15cm, Height: 11cm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight: 119 grams\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2026-06-30T16:47:37+01:00","created_at":"2026-06-30T16:47:36+01:00","vendor":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","type":"17th\/early 18th century Japanese silver and parcel gilt buckle\/clasp","tags":["Japanese Silver"],"price":425000,"price_min":425000,"price_max":425000,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":46438686425238,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"JC-17TH-07238","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"A rare and important 17th\/early 18th century Japanese silver and parcel gilt buckle\/clasp with\u0026nbsp;exceptionally rare Christian decoration.","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":425000,"weight":0,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":null,"barcode":"","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}}],"images":["\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_4.jpg?v=1782833508","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_0.jpg?v=1782833509","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_1.jpg?v=1782833509","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_2.jpg?v=1782833509","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_3.jpg?v=1782833509","\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261.jpg?v=1782833508"],"featured_image":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_4.jpg?v=1782833508","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":32802191016086,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":1500,"width":1500,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_4.jpg?v=1782833508"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":1500,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_4.jpg?v=1782833508","width":1500},{"alt":null,"id":32802190885014,"position":2,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.001,"height":1499,"width":1500,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_0.jpg?v=1782833509"},"aspect_ratio":1.001,"height":1499,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_0.jpg?v=1782833509","width":1500},{"alt":null,"id":32802190917782,"position":3,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":1500,"width":1500,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_1.jpg?v=1782833509"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":1500,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_1.jpg?v=1782833509","width":1500},{"alt":null,"id":32802190950550,"position":4,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":1500,"width":1500,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_2.jpg?v=1782833509"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":1500,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_2.jpg?v=1782833509","width":1500},{"alt":null,"id":32802190983318,"position":5,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":1500,"width":1500,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_3.jpg?v=1782833509"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":1500,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261_3.jpg?v=1782833509","width":1500},{"alt":null,"id":32802191048854,"position":6,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":1500,"width":1500,"src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261.jpg?v=1782833508"},"aspect_ratio":1.0,"height":1500,"media_type":"image","src":"\/\/www.josephcohenantiques.com\/cdn\/shop\/files\/3006261.jpg?v=1782833508","width":1500}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eA rare and important 17th\/early 18th century Japanese silver and parcel gilt buckle\/clasp with exceptionally rare Christian decoration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe history of trade between Japan and the West is a fascinating study of cultural attitudes and barriers. Before the late 16th century Japan had limited contact with other cultures, the exceptions being Korea and of course China. The arrival in 1543 of a Potuguese ship (blown off course by a\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003etyphoon) was an event of exceptional significance to the isolationist orientated government of Japan. Eager to trade with Japan, the Portuguese soon established more formal traffic through the port of Nagasaki, and in 1549 the Jesuit priest Francis Xavier (1506 – 52) arrived in the country and founded the first Christian mission.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eFor the Japanese, any initial feelings of alarm caused by the appearance of the nanban-jin, or 'southern barbarians', as the Portuguese were called, was soon overshadowed by the exotic appeal of these curious visitors and the effects can be seen in Japanese art of the period. The arrival of Christianity also had a profound effect on Japan. The Catholic mission founded by Xavier was one of the most successful in Asia. By the early 1590s there were an estimated 215,000 Japanese Christians.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAt that time the Imperial Regent of Japan, Toyotomi Hideoshi (1537 – 98), began to sense that an allegiance to the Christian God would threaten his own authority and so issued a decree in 1587 expelling all Christians. This edict was never carried out, but persecutions and executions of Christians occurred under the later rule of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542 – 1616) and his successors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eFollowing the success of the Portuguese other European powers were soon attempting to gain access to Japan. The first Dutch ship arrived in 1600, and in 1609 the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, or VOC) established a trading factory in Hirado. Following the expulsion of the Portuguese in 1639, the Dutch became the only Europeans allowed to remain in Japan. They were forced to move to Dejima, a tiny artificial island in Nagasaki Bay and closely supervised.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe political instability in Japan during the late 16th and early 17th centuries was to a degree influenced by the many conversions and the association between Christians and a series of rebellions led to harsher repression and eventually the banning of Christianity and the expulsion of all Europeans saving the Dutch. While the crackdown on Christianity was deliberately harsh, missionaries, notably the Jesuits, continued to teach and proselytize through an intricate underground network.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eDespite the restrictions placed on foreign trade and relations, Japan in the period after 1639 was not entirely closed to foreign influence and after 1720 Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684 – 1751) relaxed the rules regarding the importation of foreign books which naturally influenced Japanese learning and culture providing an important alternative to dominant intellectual practices derived from China.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe form of the buckle is a restrained Baroque cartouche with the edge defined by a series of ornamental mouldings some incorporating acanthus leaf decoration and demonstrating a knowledge of contemporary European design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe central element of the buckle is decorated with the Agnus Dei, symbol of Christ and St John the Baptist, and an eagle, symbol of St John the Evangelist. The only overtly Christian symbol is the cross held by the lamb. The role of St John the Evangelist is emphasised by the small ink pot with two brushes next to the eagle which highlight his traditional role as the author of the Book of Revelation.These two saints were particularly venerated by missionaries for their roles in recognising Christ and their evangelism, a central tenant especially of Jesuit missionaries in this period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eNext to the pot is a book which we can surmise is a bible. On the cover we can see an ume mon (peach blossom) which may represent the Oda clan, a samurai family who were also daimyo (feudal lords) that played an important role in Japan during this period. The buckle may have been produced by an artisan under their protection or it may have been produced for one of the extended family with Christian connections or beliefs and therefore adorned with their mon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAt the apex there is a representation of the eye of providence with its rays descending towards the emblems. The eye represents God watching over humanity and the rays his will which emphasises the roles of the two saints in recognising the divinity of Christ and its recording.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAs Christianity had effectively been forced underground, the craftsman has produced a work that to a cursory eye would not be overly Christian. The cross held by the Agnus Dei is far from prominent and the banner that wraps round it helps to negate its appearance. Similarly, using symbols to convey the Christian meaning through the lamb and eagle would be more acceptable and less obvious than a saintly figure or Christ himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe scale and shape of the buckle suggests that rather simply being for a belt it may have been used as a clap, either for a cloak or possibly for an ecclesiastical vestment. As such it is a rare an fascinating survival of a period of outward isolationism and anti-Christian policies in Japan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMeasurements:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWidth: 15cm, Height: 11cm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight: 119 grams\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e"}