National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

Bowls made with metal are called mari. They are usually made by casting sahari (an alloy of copper, tin and lead) or hakudō (nickel and copper), but occasionally made with gold or silver as well. In historical records, different kanji characters were used for bowls according to the materials: 鋺 for metal bowls, 椀 for wooden ones and 埦 for pottery. Bronze bowls were tableware for the imperial court and powerful clans and thus, adding to those owned by temples, found among burial accessories from tumuli of later periods in different places. They began to be used in the early sixth century and became popular from the seventh to the eighth century. Lids with a hōju (sacred jewel) shaped button, such as the two here, are most likely to have been for bowls with a stand or a foot.