-For those of you who may need review: The ojime is a slide closure for an inro or tobacco pouch -used as a pocket substitute when men wore Kimonos in Japan. The obidome was a slide closure on a flat cord -used to secure the woman's obi in place.-

Dear Chris,

I feel that your points should be noted because you have a great deal of experience exploring all kinds of Chinese cloisonné. In your considerable experience: Have you found Japanese ebay sellers offering mid-19th c. Chinese cigarette paraphernalia and calling it "Japanese?"

When the Chinese were making these beads, the Japanese had little need -except for ceremonial occasions such as weddings- for the inro ensemble. Because fewer people were wearing the Kimono mid 19th century, there was no need to make more ojime.

When I've asked Japanese sellers how they arrived at the notion that their Chinese cloisonné is Japanese, they usually say they are not experts and rely upon the buyer's decision based upon the image posted on ebay...Consider the Christmas ornament sized beads which were offered as ojime less than one year ago…THAT was fraud. Ojime are seldom larger than 18mm or 3/4 inch. Everyone should know this.

The ojime has been intended as a slide closure; and a Chinese cloisonné bead has an abrasive rim around the aperture. Whereas, Japanese cloisonné beads -as well as almost all ojime- have a much smoother, beveled, countersunk or lined rim around the hole.

I question all of this is because, for many years, I have been the buyer of almost all of the Chinese cloisonné beads sold as "Ojime" on ebay. And they are ALWAYS in PERFECT condition and excellent examples. This is why I've paid the price. There seems to be no other source than Japan for such perfect examples. Therefore, it seems as though the old Chinese cloisonné beads were collected by the Japanese when the beads were new. -And then carefully preserved in good collections. If they were worn, they were not worn very much.

Obviously, today, the Japanese are sometimes marketing them as ojime on ebay. But I disagree with the sellers that they were ever intended for adaptation as ojime. I have never seen a Chinese cloisonné bead adapted for an inro ensemble. I may have seen the ones adapted as a decoration on an obidome…but it is odd to me…

For more than forty years I have studied auctions from Christies, Sothebys, Phillips and Bonhams aa well as most museum collections. And I have never seen Chinese cloisonné adapted for use as ojime.

Just Fred