Japanese Esoteric Buddhist Implement - Vajra (12.7 cm Length)

Acquired from an overseas collector. The collector stated it was from the Edo period (1603-1867 AD, early 17th-19th centuries). This period corresponds to the late Ming Dynasty to mid-Qing Dynasty in China. Vajras from the Edo period are basically 150-420 years old. Having handled artifacts for many years, I tend to conservatively estimate the age slightly lower, placing it in the 19th century. A religious artifact of a century's historical significance is a more appropriate classification. Total length is 12.7 cm. Made of brass alloy. Hand-carved and finished. A genuine Vajra implement with a tangible history. **************************** Currently, Vajra implements being manufactured today retail for approximately 3200-4000 [currency unit, e.g., TWD] for new, finely crafted pieces. Mass-produced items from mainland China are even lower, costing as little as 600 [currency unit] when converted to TWD. Some new Vajra implements are cast from molds made of over century-old pieces. The visual difference is not significant. For collectors without extensive experience in acquiring old Tibetan artifacts, it is difficult to discern the distinctions between new and old. Most collectors in Taiwan primarily focus on old Tibetan artifacts. Very few collectors acquire Japanese Esoteric Buddhist implements, and the supply of old Japanese Esoteric Buddhist artifacts is even scarcer... Consequently, it is challenging to promote old Japanese Esoteric Buddhist artifacts in Taiwan... ********************************** Regarding the energetic resonance of the artifact, I personally do not possess a heightened sensitivity. Whether it's ancient Tibetan Phurba daggers, Vajras... or even Japanese single-pointed, three-pointed, or five-pointed Vajras... I feel nothing. However, this year, while acquiring a large number of Tibetan Vajras, I also obtained a few Japanese ones. One evening, while handling a single-pointed Vajra, I placed it under my pillow before sleeping. Unexpectedly, I dreamt of a fire ritual, smelling the scent of burning pine resin. As I often burn broken amber and beeswax rosaries for friends in recent years, allowing them to learn the aroma of genuine beeswax and amber when burned... In my dream, I paid particularly close attention to the smell... three times consecutively... Thus, I confirmed in my dream that it was indeed the scent of burning pine resin, beeswax, and similar substances... Upon waking with the daylight... after over 30 years of touching countless artifacts... with no dull or muted sensation... I was able to experience a dreamlike resonance from this single-pointed Vajra... A peer in the antique trade from the south once mentioned: "The spiritual focus of Japanese practitioners surpasses that of Tibetans. Do not underestimate Japanese ritual implements..." On December 7, 2024, a fellow Taoist practitioner who has long engaged in spiritual cultivation and meditation visited. He sensed the energies of several artifacts I possess... Both Tibetan (11th-18th centuries) and Japanese old Vajras... Upon holding them, he could not stop yawning uncontrollably, unable to cease... He exclaimed about the immense spiritual energy... Then, he looked at me with disbelief, asking if I felt nothing when touching these artifacts??? After sensing them, he took photos to show his master. After I explained the age and acquisition cost of each artifact... The next morning, he somewhat hesitantly requested to acquire three Japanese Esoteric Buddhist implements (single-pointed, three-pointed, and five-pointed Vajras) from me. He noted that the spiritual resonance of Japanese implements was nearly as powerful as Tibetan ones, but the price difference was substantial... Similar to the vast price disparity between Tibetan Dzi beads and West Asian beads... He seemed to believe that Japanese artifacts were more within his budget... On December 19, 2024, he specifically traveled north to meet me and reported that the night he brought these Japanese artifacts home, he placed two of them by his bedside cabinet. That night, he dreamt of two divine dragons, one large and one small, appearing within the Vajras. Having practiced sensory perception for many years, he was genuinely surprised and delighted by this experience. ********************************** On December 18, 2024, I made an offering to the esteemed Lama Ugyen Tsangpo at the Dharma center. I inquired if there were any practices within Tibetan Buddhism involving the three-pointed Vajra. The Lama explained that it is primarily for householder yogis to visualize and contemplate. It is a method of contemplation and visualization, imagining the three-pointed Vajra within the mouth... In practice, the physical artifact is not used. 8600-114.03.01