An elegant set of five lotus leaf shaped Chataku Sencha Tea Cup Coasters of carved exotic wood, each leaf inlayed with a bead of glass simulating a single drop of dew.A frog surmounts the edge of each leaf, the tine creatures each in a differing position.Each piece is signed on the base: Dainippon Shiki Kaibai, Kojin Obara Gyokko.They are 10.5 x 7 x 2 cm (4 x 3 x ¾ inches) and all are in excellent condition, enclosed in a compartmentalized wooden box.This artist is mentioned in the book Wagagun Shi published in 1920 by the Iwate Prefectural Department of Education. According to that source in brief: It is said that the artist was a man of unsurpassed carving skill awarded at the 1890 Tokyo Hakurankai (3rd National Industrial Exposition or Naikoku Kangyo Hakurankai) and that he passed away 20 odd years before publication.
A disclaimer on the reading of the name, the two characters which make up the artists family name can be read a multitude of ways, I have chosen the most common.Other common ways of reading Obara are: Ohara, Kohara and Kobara.Inside the lid is written the name Saeki-shi, indicating it belonged to someone named Saeki.
