Japanese Esoteric Buddhist Vajra (12.7 cm length)

Acquired from an overseas collector. The collector stated it is from the Edo period (1603-1867 AD, early 17th-19th century). This corresponds to the late Ming to mid-Qing dynasties in China. Vajras from the Edo period are generally 150-420 years old. Having handled cultural artifacts for many years, I prefer to conservatively estimate the age. It is positioned as 19th century. A religious artifact with a century of history is a more appropriate description. Total length: 12.7 cm. Brass alloy. Hand-carved and finished. A distinct Vajrayana ritual implement with evident age and signs of practice. **************************** Currently, Vajra ritual implements being manufactured are new. The market price for new, refined pieces is approximately between NT$3200-4000. Mass-produced items from mainland China are even cheaper, around NT$600. Some new Vajra implements are cast from molds made from old, century-old artifacts. The visual difference is not significant. For collectors without experience in acquiring old Tibetan ritual implements, it is difficult to distinguish between new and old. Most collectors in Taiwan primarily focus on old Tibetan ritual implements. There are very few collectors of old Japanese Esoteric Buddhist ritual implements, and the supply of such items on the market 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 single-pronged, three-pronged, or five-pronged Vajras, I feel nothing. However, when I acquired a large quantity of Tibetan Vajras this year, I also obtained a few Japanese ones. One evening, while handling a single-pronged Vajra, I placed it under my pillow before sleeping. Unexpectedly, I dreamed of a fire ritual scene and smelled the scent of burning pine resin. As I have often burned broken amber and beeswax prayer beads for friends in recent years to let them experience the scent of genuine amber and beeswax when burned... In my dream, I paid close attention to the scent... for three consecutive times... Thus, I confirmed in my dream that it was indeed the scent of burning pine, amber, and similar resins... Upon waking, after more than 30 years of handling countless ritual implements without any discernible sensation, I received a dream experience from this single-pronged Vajra... A colleague in the cultural artifact trade from the south once mentioned: "The concentration and spiritual power of Japanese practitioners surpass those of Tibetans. Do not underestimate Japanese ritual implements..." On December 7, 2024, a Daoist brother who has long practiced spiritual cultivation and meditation visited. He sensed the energy of several ritual implements I possess. Whether Tibetan (11th-18th century) or Japanese old Vajras... Upon holding them, he could not stop yawning uncontrollably. He exclaimed about the immense spiritual energy, looking at me with disbelief. He asked if I truly felt nothing when touching these artifacts. After sensing the items, he took photos to show his master. Upon hearing me explain the age and acquisition cost of each artifact... The next morning, he sheepishly requested to purchase three Japanese Esoteric Buddhist ritual implements (single-pronged, three-pronged, and five-pronged Vajras) from me. He noted that the spiritual energy sensed from Japanese and Tibetan ritual implements was almost equally powerful, yet the price difference was substantial... Similar to the vast price disparity between Tibetan Dzi beads and West Asian beads. He believed that the prices of Japanese ritual implements would likely be more affordable... On December 19, 2024, he specially traveled north to see me and reported that on the night he brought the Japanese ritual implements home, he placed two of them by his bedside. He dreamed of two divine dragons, one large and one small, appearing within the Vajras. Having cultivated his sensory perception for many years, he was truly and greatly surprised by this experience. ********************************** On December 18, 2024, I made an offering to Master Ugyen Khenpo at the Dharma center. I inquired if there were any practices in Tibetan Buddhism involving the three-pronged Vajra. The master replied that it is primarily practiced by householder yogis through visualization. It is a meditative practice, visualizing the three-pronged Vajra in one's mouth. In practice, the physical ritual implement is not used. 8500-114.03.01