I don't know about you, but the holiday season always greets me with extra weight. Those hot cocoa nights, Christmas cookies and cakes are just too hard to say no to. Now that it is the New Year, the idea of trying to knock off those extra kgs/lbs is something I really do not want to think about. But I will tell you about what kind of weight I would like to think about and it is these antique ceramic fishing weights!
I often find halves of these old weights on the beach (affectionally called "hot dog" by a certain Instagram friend).
Only a few times have I managed to find one fully in tact. The others were found in the fishing shack from a couple of years ago.
This string of weights (which reminds me of a beaded necklace) was gifted to me by our good friend and neighbor, Endosan. It hangs on our deck.
These fishing weights were used instead of lead weights.
They are ceramic clay weights that were used to hold nets down. By using the right combination of these clay weights and wood or glass floats, a fisherman was able to set his net to what ever depth he liked. Now these weights have been replaced by rope that is lined with lead. And so these beautiful weights are no longer in use. Which means they are all the more rare and special.
Like any of the photos in this post? Some (and more!) are available in Digital Prints in my store!
Please feel free to contact me if you would like to purchase some of these full or half ceramic weights.
#japaneseglassfishingweights #antiquemaritime #japanesemaritime #fishingweights
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