This incense burner was made at the request of making an item that will be the family heirloom. The six gourds are open worked to represent “no disease,” a tortoise shell for longevity, and a hexagonal shape for peace and purity of mind and the six roots of purity.
Forging, which is the process of squeezing and forming, is easier to form a round shape when viewed from above, but forming such a regular hexagonal shape is extremely difficult.
(Yamanaka)