Japan Important Early Temple Lions Hand-Carved Stone Pair of Old Kyoto
$14,570.00
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Japan an early pair of temple mythical Shi Shi Temple Foo Dogs also known as Komainu hand-carved in sandstone.
Dimensions: 37 inches high and 27 inches wide and 12 inches deep
Age: great age dating to the middle Edo period (1800-1840). Old and original patina with aged and substantial traces of lichen encrustation still visible.
Older pairs of Buddhist mythological Komainu like these are infrequently found in not only this massive size, but in this choice quality and early age. Today, new pairs are often seen guarding entrances to Japanese Buddhist temples and shrines.
About Shishi Komainu Ah and Un:
Temple Shishi are traditionally depicted in pairs, one with mouth open (Ah) and one with mouth closed (Un). Ah is the first sound in the Japanese alphabet, while Un (pronounced un) is the last. These two sounds symbolize beginning and end, birth and death, and all possible outcomes (from alpha to Omega) in the cosmic dance of existence.
Provenance: found in Kyoto in 2012; deaccessioned from an area temple
Item Details
- Dimensions: N/A
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