Working tool (9) - 火焼印/焼印/Yakiin

Item Description
Please read the following notice before purchasing.

Shipping method – The lot will be carefully packaged and sent by DHL or FedEx depend on the situation. It takes about 3 weeks to receive normally. Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Sometimes Customs or delivery company in your country contact you for Customs clearance via phone or email. Please make sure that you could answer the phone. If you don't, the parcel will return to me and it cost more double shipping fee for reshipping. I appreciate your cooperation.


A rare and fascinating complete set of antique Japanese yakiin (焼印) — traditional iron branding tools — believed to date to the Meiji or Taisho era based on the advanced surface oxidation of the iron heads and the aged condition of the wooden handles. Such tools have been used for centuries in Japan to impress decorative or identifying marks onto wood, leather, wooden packaging, and traditional Japanese confections (wagashi), and continue to be valued by artisans and craftspeople to this day.
This lot comprises a substantial collection of pieces including multiple iron stamp heads in a variety of shapes — oval, square, and custom forms — each carved in relief with distinct kanji characters and designs. Among the legible stamps are characters associated with traditional Japanese commercial or artisanal marks, including one featuring the character "金" (kin, meaning gold or metal) enclosed within a circle, a classic merchant or guild mark. Other stamps display flowing cursive (sosho-style) kanji text and intricate pictorial motifs. The stamps are hollow or open-backed, designed to be heated uniformly before pressing.
The set also includes several long, slender iron heating rods (approximately 25–30 cm in length), used to transmit heat from a fire to the stamp heads, as well as two short-handled iron tools resembling small sledgehammers or burnishing irons, with original aged wooden handles still intact.
The degree of surface rust, the darkened patina of the iron, and the weathered, cracked wood of the handles all speak to genuine age and long use. This is a remarkable survival of traditional Japanese artisan tooling, ideal for collectors of Japanese folk craft tools, antique metalwork, or Meiji-era trade history.
My Message:
Thank you so much for looking at my item. I run a recycle shop in Japan. I joined Catawiki because I want to deliver wonderful items filled with Japanese craftsmanship and history to people all over the world. Please feel free to message me anytime if you have any questions. With gratitude to everyone — ARIGATO.

Size
Height (longest piece / iron rod): approx. 30 cm
Width (largest stamp head): approx. 7 cm

Weight
1,403 g

Condition
All pieces show heavy age-related surface rust and oxidation on the iron components consistent with their antique status, and the wooden handles display significant weathering, cracking, and wear; the items are structurally intact and complete as a working set.

Artist Profile
N/A — Traditional Japanese artisan tools; maker unknown.

Catawiki出品項目

Category: Antique Tools / Japanese Folk Craft / Metalwork
Title of Artwork: Rare Antique Japanese Branding Iron Set (Yakiin) — Meiji/Taisho Era Iron Stamps with Kanji & Guild Marks
Year: Meiji – Taisho period (est. late 19th – early 20th century)
Material: Iron, wood
Country of origin: Japan
Longest piece: approx. 30 cm
Weight: 1,403 g
Condition: Heavy surface rust and wood weathering; intact and complete as a set