This bronze Japanese mirror would have been a wedding gift to a young bride with the crests of her groom's family and her own combined on the back. — This bronze Japanese mirror would have been a wedding gift to a young bride with the crests of her groom’s family and her own combined on the back.

Mirror Mirror

For a brief moment

There flashed accross the mirror

A glimpse of my soul

Welcome to TJ’s Household Challenge! If you would like to participate in this challenge then you can use any aspect of the household item for an inspiration. “Mirror” could be the mirror itself, its materials, the style, where it came from, what it reflects…be creative! It does not have to be a valuable mirror…just whatever is about at home.

If you are participating please add your contribution as a link to your post in the comment section and add “TJ’s Household Haiku Challenge” to your tag list on your own post so others can find you! Just click on the speech bubble at the end of this post to access comments.

If you would like more information about the challenge then you can view the instructions page HERE

Many thanks to the contributors to the “Teapot” challenge who created some great Haiku. You can enjoy their contributions by clicking on the links below…

A great Haiku about a teapot used daily

https://ladyleemanila.wordpress.com/2015/05/03/tjs-household-haiku-challenge-8-teapot/

A great twist on the Tea theme with a giant spoon!

No More Tea for You! #haiku #fantasy

A unique pot or two from “Eat Me” blog

No More Tea for You! #haiku #fantasy

About the object: This is a photo of a Japanese bronze mirror from the late 19th Century which I found several years ago on my travels. These were typical gifts for a young bride. One side was highly polished and the other bore attractive designs, auspicious symbols or, as in this case, the crests of the two families that were being joined in marriage.

This is the surface of the mirror which casts a rich golden glow to anything reflected in it.

I love Japanese family crests that are based on flower and leaf forms and the asymmetrical way they arrange the design over the surface.

The mirror’s surface still reflects and it is interesting to see one’s reflection in a mirror made before glass mirrors became the norm in Japan.

It lives in its lacquer box to stop the surface dulling but comes out at times to give a new reflection or two. When closed the box suggests that it contains a ping-pong bat for the mirror is about the same size.