Japanese Esoteric Buddhist Ritual Implement - Sankosho (12.9 cm length)

Acquired from an overseas collector. The overseas collector indicated it is from the Edo period (1603-1867 AD, early 17th-19th century). This corresponds roughly to the late Ming to mid-Qing dynasties in China. A vajra from the Edo period. Generally, these are 150-420 years old. Having handled artifacts for many years... I will conservatively estimate its age slightly lower. Dated to the 19th century. A religious artifact with a century of history is more appropriate. Total length 12.9 cm, weight 96 grams. Brass alloy. Hand-carved and finished. A special Vajrayana ritual implement with a history of actual practice. Secured with a quick-release S-hook and Chinese knotting. The knot is adorned with an ancient bead featuring a West Asian vajra motif, and two 18th-19th century Burmese mantra beads. It can be attached to a belt or backpack for everyday carry. Currently, most collectors in Taiwan focus on Tibetan ritual implements. Very few collectors acquire Japanese Esoteric Buddhist ritual implements. The market supply of old Japanese Esoteric Buddhist ritual implements is even scarcer... Therefore, old Japanese Esoteric Buddhist ritual implements are difficult to promote in Taiwan... ********************************* Regarding the energetic resonance of ritual implements. I do not possess a sensitive constitution. Whether it's ancient Tibetan phurba or vajra, or even Japanese Esoteric Buddhist sōtō, sankosho, or gokosho... I feel nothing. However, when acquiring a large number of Tibetan vajras this year, I also obtained a few Japanese vajras. One evening, while handling a sōtō vajra, I placed it under my pillow before sleeping. Unexpectedly, I dreamt of a fire ritual scene, smelling the scent of burning pine resin. As I have frequently burned broken amber and beeswax prayer beads for friends in recent years, allowing them to learn the scent of genuine amber and beeswax when burned... In the dream, I paid particular attention to the smell... three times in a row... Thus, I confirmed in my dream that it was indeed the scent of burning pine resin or beeswax... Upon waking in the morning... after more than 30 years... having touched countless ritual implements... all without any sensation... I was able to receive a dream-induced resonance from this sōtō vajra... A fellow Taoist practitioner from the south, who has long practiced spiritual cultivation and meditation, once said: "The mental power of Japanese practitioners surpasses that of Tibetans. Do not underestimate Japanese ritual implements..." On December 7, 2024, a fellow practitioner who has long engaged in spiritual cultivation and meditation visited. He sensed the energy of several ritual implements in my possession. Whether Tibetan (11th-18th century) or Japanese old vajras... Upon holding them, he could not stop yawning repeatedly, unable to stop... He exclaimed that the energy field was incredibly powerful... Then, with an incredulous expression, he looked at me and asked if I felt nothing when touching these implements??? After sensing them, he took photos and sent them to his master. Then, after I explained the age and acquisition price of each ritual implement, the next morning, he sheepishly requested to purchase three Japanese Esoteric Buddhist ritual implements (sōtō, sankosho, gokosho) from me. Because the energy fields sensed from Japanese ritual implements are almost as powerful as those from Tibetan ones, but the price difference is enormous... Similar to the price disparity between Tibetan Dzi beads and West Asian beads... He must have calculated that Japanese ritual implements would be more affordable... On December 19, 2024, he made a special trip from the south to see me and reported that the night he brought these Japanese ritual implements home, he placed two of them by his bedside table. He then dreamt of two divine dragons, one large and one small, appearing within the vajras. He has practiced sensing for many years, and this experience brought him immense surprise... ********************************** On December 18, 2024, I made an offering to the master Ugyen Khenpo at the temple. I inquired if there were any practices in Tibetan Buddhism involving the sankosho. The master said that only householder yogis engage in contemplation. It is purely a practice of visualization, imagining the sankosho in one's mouth. In reality, the sankosho ritual implement is not used. 9000-114.05.01