An older, handmade and hand glazed Folk Art Hero Tanuki- raccoon dog party animal from Japan, heavy duty, thick glazed pottery.

Dimensions: 8 inches high

Quality: He brandishes a sake bottle in one hand and a sheaf of paper pages in the other. The sheaf is marked with a character KAYOI, which translates as ORDER BOOK, so this tanuki acts as a sake vendor. Notable are his protruding belly with exaggerated genitals. . Now hard to find these earlier examples in this used and well loved sculpture.

Handmade and hand glazed, heavily crafted pottery

History:

The Japanese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus), also known as tanuki in Japanese, is a subspecies of the Asian raccoon dog.
As tanuki, this animal has been significant in Japanese folklore since ancient times. The legendary tanuki is reputed to be mischievous and jolly, a master of disguise and shape shifting, but somewhat gullible and absentminded. It is also a common theme in Japanese art, especially statuary and can be commonly seen in businesses as cultural symbols.

We have been dealing in fine authentic Japanese antiques including screens, garden ornaments, lanterns and water basins for many years. Our president personally travels to Japan each year to meet his network partners who assist him in finding best examples. He personally inspects each antique to ensure its old age, authenticity, and quality condition.

Lifetime guarantee of authenticity: All of our Asian works of art come with our lifetime authenticity guarantee.