【National Treasure】
Ancient Divine Treasure, Property of the Wakamiya Deity
Golden Crane with Silver Tree Branches
Numerous sacred treasures (offerings dedicated to the deity) have been kept in the main halls of Kasugataisha Shrines’s Ōmiya and Wakamiya shrines since ancient times, and were removed during the 56th ceremonial rebuilding in 1930. The sacred treasures at Ōmiya are called the “Old Sacred Treasures of the Main Shrine” and those at Kasuga Wakamiya are called the “Old Sacred Treasures of the Wakamiya Shrine”. They were designated National Treasures in 1935. With a few exceptions, the sacred treasures at Kasuga Taisha were not removed or replaced with new ones each time the shrine was rebuilt, and as result many of them remain together without having been scattered.
This work is one of the ancient sacred treasures at Wakamiya Shrine that is a designated National Treasure. It is a small sculpture that depicts a crane made of solid gold perched on a silver tree branch. The crane is made from two sheets of gold joined together, with inserted legs. Detailed carving is found on the wings. The other tree branch indicates the piece was originally part of a pair, and its form and other similar objects show the tree had been implanted into a rock-like base, and that they were probably those of a pine tree. Textual and visual records tell us that such objects were used as decorations at celebratory banquets and other events for aristocrats during the Heian period (794-1185), but few examples remain. This is an extremely valuable example of ornament in the history of Japanese crafts.
