The finely proportioned ovoid shaped body rising to an elongated slender neck with a flaring rim, decorated with motifs of waterfowl standing in a grassy marsh with silvered bodies, accented with copper highlights & gold limbs using both shibuichi & shakudo techniques, and exhibiting a fine old patina overall. Shibuichi is a technique using an alloy of silver & copper, whereas Shakudo is a technique using an alloy of gold & copper. These techniques are recorded as having been used prior to the 18th century to decorate Samurai swords, but with the advent of the Meiji Period (1868-1912), Japanese sword makers turned instead to using these techniques on various forms of metal-ware & decorative arts. In extremely good overall condition, and priced competitively in comparison to similar examples in the marketplace. NOTE: the darkened areas shown are simply the tarnished mixed metal sections that have been left unpolished to preserve the overall natural patina which has taken decades to develop. That said, these areas could certainly be cleaned or polished by carefully using a cotton swab.