Rare Japanese Edo Period ‘Mingei’ Candle Holder/Container and Snuffer (1784)

We reserve the right to withhold this piece pending reply from an auction house specialized in Asian antiques, but please let us know if you are interested in it.
 
We identified this piece online at https://ima.goo.ne.jp/column/article/10553.html (click on English for translation and scroll down). This rare find was recognized as part of the Japanese ‘Mingei’ movement inspired by the international Arts and Crafts movement. Japanese collectors began travelling broadly to catalog the beautify of everyday handmade items used by local people, ‘folk crafts’ in other words. There is even a museum dedicated to Mingei now.
 
We believe it was purchased in the 1920s or 1930s by the Burr sisters. On the bottom, someone has written 1784, which we trust as an indication of how old this is. The Edo Period stretched from 1603-1867. 
 
This piece comes with tongs and a compartment in the base in which we assume small candles or lighting materials were kept. 
 
The piece does need a bit more polishing than we had time to do, and the compartment base is discolored. There are also stains and scratches inside and out as shown in photos.
 
We believe this is made of brass based on the color of the metal although we initially thought it was bronze based on weight.
 
H 7 ¾” x L 5 ¼” x W 4 1/2”
1 lb 3.5 oz
 
Disclaimer: We have tried to make sure colors shown in photos are representative of the real colors of each item. We have tried to identify all imperfections in descriptions, but we may have missed some. If you are unhappy with your purchase, let us know.