sftokyo2016 Posted July 29, 2019 Report Share Posted July 29, 2019 Hi, Just wondering if anyone has come across this Japanese maker/brand of chinrest and fittings. http://asaiseisakujyo.com/itemlist12.html I stumbled across this maker online while searching for chinrests made from Japanese Mulberry wood. They look really beautiful.… However, the prices seem to be a tad higher than what I am acustomed to. (Eye wateringly) I am sure whoever is making them is a master craftsman. So wanted to know if anyone in the maestronet universe has ever come across or own any of these fittings. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violadamore Posted July 30, 2019 Report Share Posted July 30, 2019 Ummmm...........no. Lovely stuff, but.......truly impressive prices, one could buy entire nihonto for that, with all antique koshirae (fittings), mei (smith's signature), spiffy polish, and NBTHK origami (certification). Let's say I'm a little surprised. Anybody familiar with the carver? Like with those prices, they might be mukansa in something else, like being the Imperial Family's tansu maker, or something?? I wouldn't expect someone to just appear out of nowhere asking eight or ten grand for a chinrest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Brown Posted July 30, 2019 Report Share Posted July 30, 2019 Was it really 1,000,000 yen? for a set? Thats $9,183.00 US I hope I read it wrong. DLB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sftokyo2016 Posted July 30, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2019 20 minutes ago, Violadamore said: Ummmm...........no. Lovely stuff, but.......truly impressive prices, one could buy entire nihonto for that, with all antique koshirae (fittings), mei (smith's signature), spiffy polish, and NBTHK origami (certification). Let's say I'm a little surprised. Anybody familiar with the carver? Like with those prices, they might be mukansa in something else, like being the Imperial Family's tansu maker, or something?? I wouldn't expect someone to just appear out of nowhere asking eight or ten grand for a chinrest. Yes, I was thinking along similar lines. If he has access to particular woods from the Izu Islands then he could well belong to an elite class of master makers. I understand the Mikurajima mulberry wood is possibly one of the most prized if not expensive woods in Japan. Still, at those prices it had better make me sound like Kogan or Oistrakh and grant me three wishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violadamore Posted July 30, 2019 Report Share Posted July 30, 2019 29 minutes ago, Dwight Brown said: Was it really 1,000,000 yen? for a set? Thats $9,183.00 US I hope I read it wrong. DLB That's what it says, and the万円 used on some prices means "ten thousand yen", so multiply them by a hundred bucks, as in "80 万円" is going to mean nearly $8000. $3K for vintage bridges hits me as odd, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spelman Posted July 30, 2019 Report Share Posted July 30, 2019 Hey, someone just paid 11,000USD for a bunch of grapes... https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/japan-grapes-expensive-fruit-intl-hnk/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkBouquet Posted July 30, 2019 Report Share Posted July 30, 2019 Like Minnie Pearl leaving the price tags hanging from her hats, I'd think whoever buys this stuff would want to do likewise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DutchViolins Posted July 31, 2019 Report Share Posted July 31, 2019 Everything seems to be sold out. Good business! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davide Sora Posted July 31, 2019 Report Share Posted July 31, 2019 9 minutes ago, DutchViolins said: Everything seems to be sold out. Good business! Marketing strategy to take new orders? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane88 Posted July 31, 2019 Report Share Posted July 31, 2019 Rent is expensive in Tokyo, thus Indian Ebony pegs are .90 each, and presumably the seller is making some profit, and Japanese pegs are hundreds of dollars/tens of thousands of yen, each. Fine fittings are a thing there. I have send instruments to Japan with nice Arcos fittings only to have them replaced with "better" fittings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violadamore Posted August 1, 2019 Report Share Posted August 1, 2019 OK, sounds like this is yet another of those intensely (some would say insanely) Japanese things which baffle foreigners. Move along, nothing to see here........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sftokyo2016 Posted August 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2019 Haha yes baffling indeed, that said regardless of this makers high prices for average Joes like me, I have to admire and respect the woodwork. I found his instagram account and the cups, tea bowls and chinrests are truly impressive. Judging by the number of chinrests this chap is making I can only assume he has orders coming in. https://instagram.com/kohakumatu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gowan Posted August 1, 2019 Report Share Posted August 1, 2019 One aspect of the mulberry wood chinrest is that the wood is very hard to get and, since mulberry (kuwa) is more of a shrub than a tree, it would be still more difficult to get a piece thick enough to make a chinrest. Japanese prices can be very high for other things. Check out the cost of a canteloupe melon, for example. https://www.rd.com/food/fun/expensive-japanese-fruit/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spelman Posted August 1, 2019 Report Share Posted August 1, 2019 At the risk of asking a dumb question, does anyone recognize the maker of any of the violins sporting these chinrests? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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