This little stupa, a miniature pagoda, symbol of Buddhism, comes from a collection of a million pieces that were produced by order of the empress Shōtoku in 764 and offered to the ten greatest temples of the time. Inside the cylindrical cavity are inserted small pieces of paper rolled up and printed with some prayers called dhāranī. This little object represents not only an interesting proof in the history of Buddhism but also an important element for the japanese culture: these dhārani are in fact believed to be earliest surviving examples of printing in Japan. Other musealized hyakumantō are displayed at the MET in New York and the British Museum in London.
 

Kappas are creatures from Japanese mythology that inhabit lakes, rivers, and ponds. They are described as child-sized humanoid beings with turtle-like shells and scaly skin ranging from green to yellow. They have webbed hands and feet that help them live in an aquatic environment. The kappa's main feature is a cavity on its head filled with water; however, this is also its main weakness: if the water were to spill it would risk death. In our netsuke a kappa is firmly resting on a hamaguri shell: a hind leg of the creature is stuck inside between the two valve, from which the mollusc can be seen spilling out, made in ivory. The junction of the hamaguri is made of shell, while the cavity on the head is made of pewter. The signature of the author, Komin, is inserted within a gilded rectangle at the base of the shell, along with the seal (kakihan). Several other pieces with the same subject and signed by Komin are well known.

Kannon personifies compassion and it’s one of the most important deities of Buddhism. The origin of this bodhisattva is not clear but the majority of the scholars seems to agree on locating its roots in India around the 1st / 2nd century a.d.
In Japan the veneration of Kannon started around the end of the 6th century when Buddhism reached Japan from way of China and Korea. The Sino-Japanese term “Kannon” means “watchful listening” and it’s often translated as “one who sees / hear all”. This is indeed the task of the compassionate Kannon who listens to the prayers of the people in difficulty. Another name for Kannon is Kanzeon which means “the one who constantly surveys”.

The statue of the standing Amida Nyorai fits in the standard typology and dimensions of “one feet and five sun” The long shaped face, the fact that the edge of the monastic coat covers the left upper arm and the formal and stylistic proximity of the figure made by the pupils of the renowned sculptor Unkei (1151-1223), allow us to date the statue to the Kamakura period, more precisely to the second half of the 13th century. However, the hands, the halo and the pedestal were replaced in the Edo period. We can assume that the Buddha Amida was placed side by side the statues of the bodhisattva Kannon and Seishi considering the typical composition of these three called Amida Sanzon.  Unfortunately, these two statues went missing as well as the original halo and pedestal. The statue expresses a feeling of monumentality and volume besides a stronger masculinity. These elements reveal an intentional reference to the style of the school of sculpture Kei of the Kamakura period.

On the little removable shutter there are two views with rocky islands, pavilions and plants. The first one in tsuikin on the outside, the second one on the inside with thin and engraved lines saturated with gold on bright black lacquer. The tsuikin technique has its roots on the Ryūkyū Islands of the 18th century. The exact meaning is “applied brocade” and it consisted of two types of relief applications: hard materials like mother of pearl, soapstone, bones, ivory or, in a cheaper version, made with the application of coloured lacquers.
On the lid there are a camellia branch and a small bird flying, on the sides there’s a plum plant, on the front of the drawers a serpentine pattern with little leaves and some embellished emblems of richness and prosperity. The vivid red colour creates a strong contrast with the colourful decoration which shows a strong exuberance, sign of a production of the second half of the 19th century, probably intended for the export to the West.

This vase clearly takes inspiration from China, both on the tianqiuping shape with a bulbous body and a long and thick neck, and on the bas-relief decoration. This technique was performed in China since the Tang period. The blue under glazed painted ornament with little branches, curled leashes and big hōsōge, flowers has bright colors on the bottom that gradually lighten from the front to the shoulder and they completely turn white on the bas-relief drawings that start to emerge on the base of the neck and become more visible. This decoration was achieved through an outstanding technique, typical of the Kōransha manufacture, that was founded in Arita in 1689 by Matashiro Fukagawa (then named Eizaimon Fukagawa), and is still active to this day. This piece is dated 1894, according to the inscription on the base which reads “Meiji nijūrokunen  Koransha sei”: “Twenty-sixth year of Meiji period [1894], Kōransha made”.

A pawlonia tree grows near some rocks, spreading out its branches with an uneven harmony on a piriform bottle with long neck. This delicate and unusual object is a tokkuri, a bottle used to serve sake. The desing suggests the Nabeshima masters’ painting style with its own interesting and graceful decoration. The porcelain manifacture of Nabeshima is called after the name of the daimyō Nabeshima Naoshige, governor of the Hizen province.

The lacquered box carved in guri-shape motif serves as a container for seals and dates back to the early Ming period, possibly Jiajing (1522-1566). Chinese lacquers from the Yuan to the early Ming period are marbled in red and black (an effect that depends on the superimposition of layers of different colors) and known as guribori. The red vermilion color, made from cinnabar pigment, it’s typical of these lacquers. The seal box is decorated with four different compositions of 'sword knobs' (jianhuan): on the lid, you can see a cruciform motif, enclosed by a frame; the door, side faces, and back also have three variations of thejianhuan motif; the base has a wave motif (xiangcao).

Against the light blue background of the interior of this cigarette box, we can see wild chrysanthemum stems with cream-colored corollas and leaves colored black, yellow, and red. The lid is slightly convex and is decorated with a pavé of stylized lozenge-shaped chrysanthemums (kikubishi) in white, gray, light blue, light green and cream with tiny buttons of bright red. The gilt feet depict bundles formed by three bamboo segments.