Warding Off Evil, Precious Coral Art. Photo: Kadota Mikiya

The art of sculpting precious coral has a
relatively short history as a traditional craft having developed only since the
Meiji period when coral was discovered in Kochi. On the other hand, this leaves
a lot of room for further development, and highlights its proactive
innovativeness. In recent years, experiments include enhancing the natural feel
of the sculpture by incorporating “mushi
coral,” with a rough surface eroded by the sea. The world of precious coral art
is still growing.