Japanese Esoteric Buddhist Ritual Implement - Five-Pronged Vajra (14.4 cm length)

Acquired from an overseas collector. The collector indicated it is from the Edo period (1603-1867 AD, early 17th-19th century). This corresponds to the late Ming to mid-Qing dynasties in Chinese imperial history. Five-pronged vajras from the Edo period are generally 150-420 years old. Having handled historical artifacts for many years, I prefer to conservatively estimate its age slightly lower. Positioning it as 19th century, a religious artifact with a century of history, seems more appropriate. Total length is 14.4 cm. Made of brass alloy, its striking sound is bright and resonant, much like a tuning fork. Hand-carved and finished. A ritual implement that has been actively used, its clear resonance is rare. As an antique over a century old, some wear is inevitable. The tip of one prong on this vajra shows an old repair. ********************************* Regarding the energetic resonance of ritual implements, I personally do not possess the sensitivity to perceive such energies. Whether it's ancient Tibetan Phurba daggers or Vajras, or even Japanese Esoteric Buddhist single-prong, three-prong, or five-prong vajras, I experience no sensation whatsoever. However, when I acquired a large number of Tibetan vajras this year, I also obtained a few Japanese ones. One evening, while handling a single-prong vajra, I placed it under my pillow before sleeping. Unexpectedly, I dreamt of a fire puja ceremony, and I could smell the scent of burning pine resin. In recent years, I have often burned broken amber and beeswax rosaries for friends to smell, allowing them to learn the aroma of genuine beeswax and amber when burned. In the dream, I focused intently on the scent... three times in a row. Thus, in my dream, I confirmed it was indeed the scent of burning resins like pine and beeswax. Upon waking at dawn, after more than 30 years of handling countless ritual implements without any discernible sensation, I was able to receive a dream-like perception from this single-prong vajra. A fellow collector from the south once remarked: "The mental power of Japanese practitioners surpasses that of Tibetans. Do not underestimate Japanese ritual implements..." On December 7, 2024, a Taoist practitioner, who has been engaged in spiritual cultivation and meditation for a long time, visited. After sensing the energetic fields of several of my ritual implements, both Tibetan (11th-18th century) and Japanese old vajras, he couldn't stop yawning uncontrollably upon holding them, unable to cease. He exclaimed how powerful the energy was, then looked at me with disbelief, asking if I felt nothing when touching these implements. After sensing them, he took photos to show his master. Upon hearing me explain the age and acquisition price of each ritual implement, the next morning, he somewhat sheepishly requested to purchase three Japanese Esoteric Buddhist ritual implements (a single-prong, a three-prong, and a five-prong vajra) from me. He noted that the energetic fields of the Japanese ritual implements were almost as powerful as those of the Tibetan ones, yet the price difference was substantial, akin to the price disparity between Tibetan Dzi beads and West Asian beads. He likely calculated that Japanese ritual implements would be more affordable. On December 19, 2024, he made a special trip from the south to visit me and reported that the night he brought the Japanese ritual implements home, he placed two of them beside his bedside table. That very night, he dreamt of two dragons, one large and one small, appearing within the vajras. Having cultivated his senses for many years, he was greatly surprised and delighted by this experience. ********************************** On December 18, 2024, I made an offering to the master Ugyen Khenpo at a Dharma center. I inquired if there were any practices in Tibetan Buddhism involving the three-pronged vajra. The master replied that it is only for lay yogis to visualize and practice. It is solely a contemplative practice, visualizing the three-pronged vajra in one's mouth. In practice, the ritual implement itself is not used. 9000-114.03.01