Japanese Statue of Kannon Bosatsu with Samurai writing       800 $ 

A Kannon Bosatsu wooden statue from the early Meiji Period (19th century) with rests of its original paint.

It is a unique peace of buddhist art, as it bears on its back a writing with black ink from a Samurai. The characters mean Saikoku Sanjusansho (The Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage), made by 'Yasukuni Joza' in the status of Bushi (Samurai) in Bungo area, Oita Prefecture.

There are no similar pieces to find. It is really matchless and singular. Perfect Wabi-Sabi condition as seen.

Size approx. 36cm in height, 15.5cm in width, 8cm in depth (14.2in, 6.1in, 3.15in).

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                      Antique Japanese Tenjin Clay Figure with Stand                     2500 $ 

This is a clay figure of "Tenjin",  the god of learning and a great and important figure in the history of Japanese culture.

It is obviously from the Mid Edo Period and is one of the most impressing pieces of art in our collection with its mysterious and spirituell character.

We offer this Tenjin figure with a wooden stand, which was built by a former owner. As you can notice on the photographies, it has some scratches and hairline cracks, which do not diminish its antique effect.

Size: approx.with stand: 43cm width, 28cm height, 10cm depth, ( 16.9'' x 11'' x3.9'' )

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Samurai doll made of Fushimi clay                                                        470 $

 
A big Samurai clay doll made of Fushimi clay of the Kyoto area. The position is drawing a sword.
It is a figure with pleasing and charming signs of time and rests of colours. The Samurai figure dates from the late 19th. century or probably earlier.

Japanese wood carving Buddhist statue eight arms Benzaiten (200 years old)

1.500 $

CONDITION : Good ( little damages due to an age of 200 years )
 

SIZE : Width 20cm (7.9''), Length 15cm (5,9''),  Height 42,42cm (16.7''),  Weight 930 g

This is a Buddhist statue of Japanese colored wood carving. It was made about 200 years ago and it is a real authentic original. It is never imitation.
Such very old buddhist statues are very rare and valuable. There are some damages caused by using for 200 years, but they surely force the beauty of this special statue.This is an example of perfect Wabi-Sabi.

Benzaiten (弁才天, 弁財天) is the Japanese name for the Hindu goddess Saraswati. Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan during the 6th through 8th centuries, mainly via the Chinese translations of the Sutra of Golden Light, which has a section devoted to her. She is also mentioned in the Lotus Sutra and often depicted holding a biwa, a traditional Japanese lute, in contrast to Saraswati who holds a stringed instrument known as a veena. Benzaiten is a highly syncretic entity with both a Buddhist and a Shinto side.

Transfer from India to Japan

Referred to as Sarasvatî Devî in Sanskrit (meaning "Goddess Saraswati"), Benzaiten is the goddess of everything that flows: water, words, speech, eloquence, music and by extension, knowledge. The original characters used to write her name read "Biancaitian" in Chinese and "Bensaiten" in Japanese (辯才天) and reflect her role as the goddess of eloquence. Because the Sutra of Golden Light promised protection of the state, in Japan she became a protector-deity, at first of the state and then of people. Lastly, she became one of the Seven Gods of Fortune when the Sino-Japanese characters used to write her name changed to 弁財天 (Benzaiten), emphasizing her role in bestowing monetary fortune. Sometimes she is called Benten although this name usually refers to the god Brahma.

In the Rig-Veda (6.61.7) Sarasvati is credited with killing the three-headed Vritra also known as Ahi ("snake"). Vritra is also strongly associated with rivers, as is Sarasvati. This is probably one of the sources of Sarasvati/Benzaiten's close association with snakes and dragons in Japan. She is enshrined on numerous locations throughout Japan; for example, the Enoshima Island in Sagami Bay, the Chikubu Island in Lake Biwa and the Itsukushima Island in Seto Inland Sea (Japan's Three Great Benzaiten Shrines); and she and a five-headed dragon are the central figures of the Enoshima Engi, a history of the shrines on Enoshima written by the Japanese Buddhist monk Kōkei (皇慶) in AD 1047. According to Kōkei, Benzaiten is the third daughter of the dragon-king of Munetsuchi (無熱池; literally "lake without heat"), known in Sanskrit as Anavatapta, the lake lying at the center of the world according to an ancient Buddhist cosmological view.

Benzaiten as a kami

Benzaiten is a female kami to Shinto with the name Ichikishima-hime-no-mikoto (市杵島姫命). Also, she is believed by Tendai Buddhism to be the essence of kami Ugajin, whose effigy she sometimes carries on her head together with a torii .As a consequence, she is sometimes also known as Uga (宇賀) Benzaiten or Uga Benten. Shrine pavilions called either Benten-dō or Benten-sha (弁天社), or even entire Shinto shrines can be dedicated to her, as in the case of Kamakura's Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine or Nagoya's Kawahara Shrine.

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Very old Mokugyo (Wooden Fish)

Buddhist Wooden Bell

                                               250 $                                                

Antique Wooden Buddhist Temple Bell (mokugyo), dating from the end of the Edo Period. 15 x 15 cm.

Handcarved and made of one piece of wood. The Buddhist Mokugyo has a nice sound and symbolizes a japanese carp kingyo. It has been used for more than two hundred years in a Buddhist Temple in Gifu. Lacquered with Urushi. It represents the aura of true wabi-sabi with its spoils of time.

More information can be found here.

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Han-Dynasty Official Seal of a Chinese General              sold

400 $

This is Chinese Official General Seal made of Bronze.

It dates from the Han-Dynasty 汉朝 (206 BC – 220 AD).

Size approx. 3,5 cm x 2,5 cm

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