MEIJI PERIOD (LATE 19TH CENTURY), SEALED KAKO (SUZUKI CHOKICHI; 1848-1919) BENEATH THE "DOUBLE-MOUNTAIN" MARK OF THE KIRYU KOSHO KAISHA (THE FIRST JAPANESE MANUFACTURING AND TRADING COMPANY)

A semi-governmental corporation, Kiryu Kosho Kaisha (The First Japanese Manufacturing and Trading Company) was founded in 1873 after the great success of the Japanese exhibit at the Vienna World Exhibition. The company employed a number of leading bronze artists, such as Suzuki Chokichi (1848-1919), to produce purely decorative bronzes for the international market.
During the Meiji period, Chokichi successfully exhibited in many of the international expositions and won prizes. He was also famous for creating images of birds of prey, most notably for his Twelve Hawks exhibited to great acclaim at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. He was appointed as an Artist to the Imperial Household (Teishitsu Gigeiin) in 1896.