Can anyone help identify this little case! Black powder??

[JeanneCurt]

Good Afternoon!  I bought this at an auction and can't seem to find out anything about it.  There was a narrow bag of what I think was black powder in this case when I bought it.  I don't know if it is a powder holder.  It is made of metal and is covered with a kind of velor finish.  It has a slight oriental look to it.    There are some oriental letters on the flip cover but I don't know if that is decoration or information.
Any information would sure be appreciated!
Jeanne

I posted this in the general questions but someone thought it should be in the antique questions section!

[waywardangler]

I am guessing snuff box but will defer to the experts on this one.

[ironlord1963]

     Show this to my Chinese friend here at work, and He know what it was right away.  Basically it is a Old Heating pad.  You would warm it up and hold it against your chest.  According to the writing on it , it was made in Osaka Japan, Something about Medicine. and the characters on the bottom row is the company name.  Pronouched "Fun Tong Mao" if you were chinese, probably pronouced different in Japanese.  Now here is the kicker about it.  You use some kind of fuel to warm up the object in the center, place it in the bag and hold it to your chest to keep warm.  My friend is a bit hard to understand sometimes so this is the best I got from it.  First I thought he said it is much like a lighter and you hold it to your chest with it burning, But he said no, you would warm it up then place it in the bag and hold it to your chest to keep warm.  He also said it was probably about 100+ years old based on the direction of the writing.  Of course to him he said that it's not that old, but if the item is under 300 years old it is vintage to him 

[waywardangler]

Very interesting ironlord.  Something like our Jon-e handwarmers but uses a solid or powdered fuel rather than a liquid.  If 300 years or less is vintage to your friend, what does he consider antique?  I guess age is based on how long ones culture has been producing artifacts.

[luxetveritas]

Excellent information, ironlord! I would never have guessed, especially with the powder bag thing. You learn something new every day I guess! Or in the case of this forum, several things every day

[ironlord1963]

   Thanks but all the credit goes to Kita.  I'm still a bit vague on how it works.  Kinda he kept comparing it to a old Lighter, using a liquid fuel lighting it to get it warm and then placing it in the bag  .  I will ask him a bit more Monday when he comes back to work, cause still sounds kind of wierd to me.  His English is not really that great, and can get frustrated trying to describe stuff. All in All sound like a fancy Chest warmer to me. 

[talesofthesevenseas]

Kudos to you and to Kita then! 

[KC]

It is called a Kairo!  This was a lacquered box filled with asbestos into which a few coals from the kotatsu (coal heater under the table) were slipped.  Or they were heated by sticks of charcoal called kairobai.  The burn from this is called kairo yake.



"Another portable fireplace is the smaller Kairo, a metal container in which powdered charcoal is placed. It was used as a bosom, pocket, or belly warmer and is still widely used in Japan today. The modern Kairo, usually carried in coat pockets to keep one's hands warm, is still a metal container (with a thick clothj carrying case) but it is fueled by butane rather than charcoal. Kaori can be purchased anywhere. To activate a hand-warmer just fill the cotton wadding with fluid, light it with a match until it catches and flames, and when the flame dies out replace the lid, put it into its cloth case and pop it into your pocket or a haramaki (belly-wrap or cummerbund). "
http://everything2.com/title/Keeping+Warm+in+Japan

The reason these aren't promoted in being used today is because of the threat of cancer form the asbestos and the charcoal burns - so day they have battery or gas powered ones in much the same shape.  http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S030541790500080X

[regularjoe2]

That's the one alright , KC !

[ironlord1963]

     Thank you KC, now what Kita said is making sense, Sounded a bit crazy too me.  But now the sun is starting to break through the clouds 

[KC]

Ironlord I had heard of small hand heaters used in the Asian countries and had heard that they had hot embers in them...just never knew the name for it.  The same type device was used in Korea, China and Turkey.  They used to even carry small ceramic Hibachi Kairo pots at one time to heat hands - then transitioned to the metal Kairo boxes.

Interesting studies done on the incidences of cancer resulting from this in many countries.

I wouldn't mind the modern Sanyo brand one myself.

[regularjoe2]

It might make a great new cell-phone app ....

[waywardangler]

Hey, a cell phone handwarmer for the cold areas of the world!  Great idea regularjoe.  Market it and watch the money flow in. 

[KC]

Yeah....we could say that we knew you when.....before your were "hot stuff"!!!!

[waywardangler]

I can hear that Donna Summer song playing in the background as you are on your marketing junket!