Price: SOLD

Item Number: 3238

Dimensions : 2.5” D x 6.5” H x 5.5” W

This interesting piece of export ware features a monkey motif which became common in Japanese art after the 6th century AD when Buddhism reached Japan. This piece is accented on the bottom by a red wave pattern. In Japan, the color red is associated with certain deities in Buddhist traditions, and statues of these deities are often decked in red clothing or painted red. The apotropaic use of red relates to the Japanese word for monkey, saru. Saru is also a homonym for the Japanese word expel, explaining why monkeys and red would be used in tandem as a talismanic device. Sumida ware is known for its distinctive use of applied three-dimensional figures.* * See literature: Schumacher, Mark. The Face of Buddhism & Shintoism in Japanese Art. www.onmarkproductions.com/html/buddhism Nilsson, Jan-Erik. www.gotheborg.com

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