Jizai Okimono

Its free-flowing body and realistic appearence belie the fact that this snake made entirely of metal. The body is made from more then 250 cylindrical parts that move freely and enable the shape to be changed into any arrangement of flowing curves or tight coils. Small, articulated metal figures of this type are called jizai okimono (literally "free decorative object"). They typically have moveable bodies, arms, legs and even antennas.

There are various theories as to why armorers first began making jizai okimono; one theory is that they were originally made as souvenirs for the daimyo. By the mid Edo Period under prolonged bakufu rule, Japan became a stable and peaceful place. Constant orders for armor were unnecessary in a world without threats of immediate war. This is when the armorers started giving souvenirs to the daimyos in hopes that they would choose them the next time they needed to replace their armor. One suggestion is that the jizai-okimono were objects devised to advertise the artisan’s skills and thus attract the daimyos’ interest.

Many jizai okimono still exist by the metal craftsman Tomiki Muneyoshi from Kyoto, and Takase Kōzan (1869–1934) who learned his skill from Tomiki. Takase Kōzan, originally from Kanazawa, first worked at a trading company in Kobe, which made him excellent in sales management. In 1893, Takase started his own independent business in Kyoto. At the end of Meiji, his work was bought by the Crown Prince and then through the Taishō period (1912–1926) and early Shōwa period (first half of the 20th century), Takase continued to show his work in many expositions. At the time, in response to the high demand and many orders they used a workshop production system. Evidence of this can be seen in the molds for making a spiny lobster. which have been passed down in Tomiki’s workshop. They must have tried using molds in order to mass-produce jizai okimono.  In this way the jizai okimono makers prospered. With the decline in the vogue for Japonisme, however, and the outbreak of the First World War, their role in export crafts ended. At present only two craftsmen are left who make jizai okimono. One, Tomiki Muneyuki, is a descendent of the Tomiki family; the other, Mitsuda Haruo (born 1980), is a descendent of Tomiki’s disciple.

Next, metal is cut out according to the blueprint made from the butterfly. Various metals such as copper, copper alloys, iron, gold and silver are used to make jizai okimono; for this butterfly, red copper is used.

The legs and body are made.

A dramatic color change is induced by dissolving copper sulfate and patina in water and then boiling the metal in the solution. This process is called "niiro". With the exception of gold and silver, which do not change, the metals change color due to this treatment: red-copper changes to black, copper-silver alloy (shibuichi) changes to gray, and crude copper to a red-brown.

Jizai okimono is a traditional craft cultivated since the Edo period, which grew out of Japan's long tradition of in metalwork technology. Sculpted with uncompromizing quality and with various playful atrributes

, jizai-okimono have a charm that does not fade. Even now, learning from the excellent works of their predecessors, the makers of jizai-okimono continue to innovate, unique modern technology making possible pieces that are finer and more realistic then ever.