ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
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18th century wooden sculpture of the Buddhist monk Kūkai, founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism in Japan. He was born as Saeki no Mao in 774 and died in 835.
He was given the posthumous name Kōbō Daishi, which is the name heading the museum label for this piece of art, though the - at least for me - more familiar name of Kūkai appears later in the same text. The description actually calls him Kōbō Daishi (also known as Kūkai), in the English text, but says Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) in the Japanese. My guess is, though I might be wrong, that Kōbō Daishi is the more correct way to call him, but he is more familiar in Japan under the name Kūkai.
The age of the sculpture, made a thousand years after he was born, probably indicates that this shall not be taken as a real portrait of likeness but is rather meant to capture his essence.
Tags: tokyo tokio 東京 japan Nippon japón japon Giappone tokyo national museum Nationalmuseum Tokio Museo Nacional de Tokio Musée national de Tokyo Museo nazionale di Tokyo musée museum museo Tokyos nationalmuseum Kūkai Kukai Kōbō Daishi Koubou Daishi Kobo daishi wood wooden trä Holz madera bois legno scultura sculpture escultura skulptur 彫刻 statue staty statua estatua 塑像 博物館 東京国立博物館 空海 弘法大師
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This is a 6th century rendition of a warrior, made of stone.
This period of Japanese history is known as the Kofun period, which literally means the old grave period. And, as might be expected from that name, the period is famous for its graves: enormous earth mounds of different shapes which still can be seen in the Japanese landscape (even in the middle of cities, including Tokyo). And I do mean enormous.
The Kofun period burials are perhaps most known for its Haniwa sculptures - made of terracotta (for a Haniwa warrior from roughly the same time, see: www.flickr.com/photos/dameboudicca/16545691348 ). But as can be seen here, they also made sculptures of stone, and they are quite massive.
This one is from the Iwatoyama Tumulus, the largest burial of its kind in northern Kyushu (the mound length is 135 metres, and the height 18 metres). The burial is thought to be that of Tsukushi no Kuni Iwai, identified from historical texts (primarily Nihon Shoki). Iwai was a powerful local leader and he was the head of what would later be called the Iwai rebellion, against the Yamato court. Iwai did not succeed, and the Yamatos were strengthened. (This was before the unified Japan we know today.)
The exact function of the stone sculptures are unknown - but whatever there is a religious and/or political or even decorative function, there is no denying it must have been quite impressive, and perhaps even slightly intimidating.
It is labeled as an Important Cultural Property, and is on display at the Tokyo National Museum.
Tags: tokyo tokio 東京 japan Nippon japón japon Giappone tokyo national museum Nationalmuseum Tokio Museo Nacional de Tokio Musée national de Tokyo Museo nazionale di Tokyo musée museum museo Tokyos nationalmuseum 博物館 東京国立博物館 stone warrior warrior krigare guerrero guerrier 戦士 kofun 古墳時代 古墳 scultura sculpture escultura skulptur 彫刻 statue staty statua estatua 塑像 stone man 石人 岩戸山古墳 岩戸山
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This big Japanese bronze bell dates to sometime from the 1st century to the 3rd century AD, found at a Yayoi settlement in Tsu in the Mie prefecture.
The name literally means big copper bell (bronze is generally written 青銅, which means blue copper, but 銅 is sometimes used to denote bronze too). Their exact function(s?) is under debate, but they were definitely used in religious ceremonies. And according to Japanese folklore they were used as warning bells. It would seem quite possible that they had several uses, despite many of them having a similar design, because they were very different in size - from just about 10 centimetres all the way up to almost 1.3 metres. (This particular example is one of the really big ones.)
They were in use from the 2nd century BC to the end of the Yayoi period to the 3rd century AD.
On display at Tokyo National Museum.
ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
Do not use without permission.
Tags: Dōtaku doutaku dotaku bronze bell yayoi tokyo tokio 東京 japan Nippon japón japon Giappone tokyo national museum Nationalmuseum Tokio Museo Nacional de Tokio Musée national de Tokyo Museo nazionale di Tokyo musée museum museo Tokyos nationalmuseum 博物館 東京国立博物館 銅鐸 弥生時代 青銅 銅 bronze brons bronzo bronce
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Japanese clay figurines called dogū (in Japanese written 土偶 which translates to earthen figure) were popular in the Late and Final Jōmon period, with these two figurines dating to sometime 1000-400 B.C.
They are found all other Japan (except Okinawa), but much more prevalent in Easter Japan, and their function is unknown - not that that stops people from speculating of course. But it is prehistory, there are no written records and when it comes to believes archaeology can't reveal everything.
Japan is also known for the Haniwa figuries of the Kofun period, more than 600 years later - but those were clearly used for funeral purposes in a way these are not, and there is no obvious connection between them and the Jōmon dogū, neither in function nor looks. Furthermore, there was no tradition of clay figurines in the period in between, in the Yayoi period (ca 300 BC - 300 AD).
For examples of Haniwa figurines see:
www.flickr.com/photos/dameboudicca/16545691348/
www.flickr.com/photos/dameboudicca/32145980021/
www.flickr.com/photos/dameboudicca/30001595682/
ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
Do not use without permission.
Tags: tokyo tokio 東京 japan Nippon japón japon Giappone tokyo national museum Nationalmuseum Tokio Museo Nacional de Tokio Musée national de Tokyo Museo nazionale di Tokyo musée museum museo Tokyos nationalmuseum dogu jomon Jōmon Dogū 博物館 東京国立博物館 縄文時代 縄文 土偶
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ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
Do not use without permission.
From a time when butter did not come in neat packaging, so needed something for presentation (and in a time without fridges, it probably kept a bit better like this). This one from circa 1780, in white porcelain with blue chinoiserie motif which was incredibly popular at the time, was made by the English manufacturer Lowesoft Porcelain Manufactory, which was in production from ca 1760 to ca 1802.
Tags: England Inglaterra Angleterre Inghilterra イングランド Britain great britain united kingdom UK storbritannien Vereinigtes Königreich Reino Unido Royaume-Uni Regno Unito イギリス Cambridge ケンブリッジ Fitzwilliam museum Butter dish smörask smörbytta Beurrier Chinoiserie chinería Cineserie Kineseri Lowesoft porcelain porslin Porzellan porcelana porcelaine porcellana 磁器
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