The Legend
Often translated as "harmony", the concept of chowa (調和) is more accurately described as "the search for balance". The first kanji "cho" references searching, while the second "wa" refers to balance. Taken together, the phrase paints a beautiful picture: one that illustrates a constant pursuit towards finding balance in life.
While living in harmony with others is important, chowa warns against confusing this balance with passivity or cowardice. Instead, it teaches that balance comes about as a result of hard work and the ability to temper following your own moral principles with mindfulness of the effect that you have on those around you.
The CHOWA 調和 Pendant
Our CHOWA pendant captures this pursuit for harmony with a simple yet elegant yin/yang design. Handforged from our traditional high carbon steel, the pendant measures approximately 1.2 inches in diameter and is 0.1 inches thick. While initially designed as a pendant, the CHOWA can also be used as a keychain or charm!
Safety
As the smith does not mix chromium into the metal, your CHOWA pendant should be kept away from water. We have applied a layer of lacquer to give the pendant a measure of water resistance, but it is always better to be safe than sorry! As this layer will eventually wear off over the course of normal wear, it is highly recommended to replace it with a jewelry sealant (or an alternative) in a month or so to protect the finishing of the pendant and maintain its water resistance.
Stainless Option
Due to popular demand, we now offer a stainless clad variant of our CHOWA pendant! The metals used in the forging of this piece are of a lower carbon content with a limited chromium mix in order to provide greatly increased resistance to water based corrosion. Please note that this metal is not fully stainless, and thus should not be left exposed to water for extended periods of time.
