What does truly beautiful jade look like in the eyes of the Japanese?

September 2016,

Japan Mineral Research Association

Convene scientific conferences,

At the meeting,

Jade was officially designated as the national stone of Japan.

When this news came out, there was an uproar in the country.

Compared with the history of jadeite,

It should be that I was in China earlier.

Even though jadeite is not selected as China's national stone,

That should be Myanmar’s national stone.

Why can Japan choose jade as its national stone with confidence?

At the same time, many people are also curious, is jade produced in Japan?

Regarding the question of whether Japan produces jade?

The answer is yes.

Japan not only produces jade, but also produces a lot of it. From south to north, there are jade mines in Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu .

There is a beach called Emerald Beach in Okinawa, Japan.

There was a saying circulating at the time:

When you feel lost in life,

Why not come to Emerald Beach to pick up emeralds?

But everyone knows that young people in Japan are under a lot of pressure.

There are too many confused people.

If this statement is true,

Then there must be a lot of people going to the "Emerald Beach" to pick up emeralds.

They should have all been picked up by now.

But it didn’t happen , why?

It is because the quality of jade produced in Japan is really not satisfactory. Rather than saying it is jade, it is better to say it is a colored stone. Compared with the real pure jade, the quality of the jade is not even a little bit worse.

Interestingly, in Japan many households use this stone as a tsukemono stone , which is a stone used for pickling pickles.

It is conceivable that Japanese jadeite raw stones are not considered presentable in Japan.

Most of the jadeite produced in Japan is rough bean-type jadeite, which is coarse in texture, short in water, and has mixed colors. Moreover, it contains a lot of impurities, often tremolite, mudstone flakes, metamorphic basalt, etc. all mixed together, which undoubtedly greatly reduces the value of Japanese jade.

Even though Japan has made jade its national stone,

The jadeite that can be used as a collectible is still produced in Myanmar.

Because the quality of Japanese jade is too low .

The collection value is too small.

What we appreciate here is only the style of Japanese jade .

Since the quality of Japanese jade is so poor, why was it chosen as the national stone?

This is actually related to the Japanese attitude towards jade.

The Japanese attach great importance to jade.

Yasakani no Magatama

As early as the Stone Age, Japan had been processing jade artifacts.

The legendary artifact " Yakani no Magatama " in Japanese Shintoism is made of jade.

The Kusanagi sword and the Yasakami are known as the three sacred treasures of Japan.

It has been known as a royal token for two thousand years.

On May 1, 2019, after the " Sword and Seal " inheritance ceremony,

Japan's Reiwa Emperor officially inherited the Yasakani no Magatama and other treasures.

buckle

The Japanese love jade.

This is not only reflected in these ancient utensils and shapes,

It is also reflected in their daily pursuit of beauty .

Buckles used on traditional Japanese high-end kimonos,

Many of them are inlaid with jade.

Sometimes it is embellished with gold, pearls, etc.

Once upon a time, Japanese women were all proud of having a

The belt buckle is inlaid with Burmese jadeite.

Hairpin

Since the 1930s, jade hairpins have become popular among Japanese women.

Wearing jade hairpins has not only become a fashion,

It is also a symbol of identity.

Japanese ladies sometimes

They would even wear three to five jade hairpins in their hair.

The craziest time.

Japanese jewelers flocked to Beijing to buy jade rings,

Jade beads and the like,

Then they returned home and made jade hairpins to sell.

The price is extremely expensive.

At that time, Japanese women especially preferred unpolished jade.

I am very resistant to B-grade jadeite.

Consumers in both countries have similar attitudes on this point.

In Tokyo, Japan, the earliest institution to use infrared rays to detect glue-injected jadeite appeared.

In the eyes of Japanese collectors,

A piece of jadeite with excellent quality and water.

It is the most valuable of all jewellery.

Therefore, in Japan,

There has long been a trend of pursuing high-end jadeite.

fcgc33

fcpf18