Nishikie polychrome woodprint, ink and colours on paper. Chūtanzaku format, 33.2 x 11.5 cm

bronze inlaid with gold, silver, shakudō and copper, 9,2 x 8,6 cm

cast and lacquered bronze; base in wood carved, lacquered and gilded, h. 55,7 cm x ø base 29

- XVII-XVIII

B-1218

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 28; Larghezza: 26; Profondità: 18

bronzo- fusione, patinatura, pittura

atō Kannon, an icon of Mikkyō esoteric Buddhism, commonly of a benevolent nature, is represented here with an angry appearance: the three furious faces, all with the third front eye, are surmounted by an equine head emerging from the thick hair. Sitting in the lotus position, he has eight arms: the front hands reproduce the mushofushi-in gesture (mudrā of ubiquity) while sword, wheel, sceptre, axe and vajra, attributes that Batō Kannon usually carries in the other six hands, have unfortunately been lost in our specimen. He is responsible for the realm in which souls are reborn in the form of animals (or beings whose state of mind is similar to that of animals). His task is to combat the lack of wisdom and earthly desires that make human beings more like beasts. During the Edo period, he also began to be venerated as a protector of horses and by extension also of cattle and herd.

Patinated and engraved wood, eyes, inlaid with shell, ivory, pewter, 3 x 4 cm

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. 

OV-29/b1-15, OV-29/a1-18

Unità di misura: UNR

pietra

Since the late Jōmon period polished and perforated hard and semi-precious stones were used as protective amulets against evil spirits in times of danger.  During the Yayoi period, the magatama assumed the characteristic comma shape and, during the subsequent Kofun period, necklaces made of jasper tubular elements (kutadama), constituted ornaments indicative of high social and religious conditions. Of great spiritual value, the magatama is still used as a ceremonial object in the Shinto context. Our finds, dating back to the 4th-6th century AD, were part of princely funerary artifacts from the Kofun period. 

- VIII

SC-1

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 21.2; Diametro: 10.4

Giappone

legno- tornitura

It is a small wooden pagoda known as Hyakumantō百万塔, literally "a million pagodas/ stūpa". The term stūpa indicates a Buddhist monument, originally from the Indian subcontinent, similar to a pagoda, whose main function is to preserve relics. This Hyakumantō comes from the series of one million pieces produced by the order of Empress Shōtoku in 764 and donated to the ten largest temples of that time. In the cylindrical cavity there are small, rolled sheets on which are printed some prayer formulas called dhāranī. This small object represents not only an interesting witness in the history of Buddhism, but also an important element for Japanese culture: these dhāranī are in fact considered the oldest printed plates texts still existing. Other musealised Hyakumantō can be found at the MET in New York and the British Museum in London.

- XVII

P-1393

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 175; Larghezza: 360

Giappone

inchiostro, colori e foglia d'oro su carta

La Rinascita della Pittura Giapponese. Vent'anni di restauri al Museo Chiossone di Genova - Genova, Museo d'Arte Orientale Edoardo Chiossone - 28/02 - 29/06 2014

The folding screen is accompanied by a second one depicting the Battle of Ichinotai. Displayed continuously for 37 years at the Accademia Ligustica, these were dismembered and divided into twelve framed panels in the years 1962-1964. All the publications published between 1905 and 1977 refer to the attribution to the Tosa School and the dating to the 14th century, but lack historical-critical justifications and stylistic analyses. The two byōbu in the museum are part of the group of screens depicting the three main Genpei wars (Ichinotani, Yashima and Dannoura) commissioned by members of the military aristocracy to the Kanō painters between the end of the 16th century and the first half of the 17th century. Folding screen consisting of six movable panels with a black lacquer frame, a brocade border with designs of cut stems on a dark blue background and an ivory background border with small swirls and scattered treasures. The hinges are in engraved, chiseled and silvered metal. The back lining is in paper with a suzumegata motif. The panels seamlessly house a representation of the Battle of Yashima. The war event is told through a wide panoramic view with valleys, buildings and stretches of sea. A complex but detailed narrative unfolds against this backdrop. Numerous anecdotes from the Romance of the Heike enrich the story. In the first panel, the boy ruler Antoku can be recognized on board one of the ships anchored in the strait, where the Taira were waiting for the Minamoto to attack them from the sea. The second and third panels depict the most famous hero of the battle, Nasu no Yoichi, a warrior of the Minamoto clan who accepted the challenge of the Taira and, having launched his horse into the sea at a gallop, pierced with a single arrow a red fan that the opponents had hung from the mainmast of one of their ships.

A.I.M.G Inv. b.341 f.2

Patinated and engraved wood, eyes, inlaid with shell, ivory, pewter, 3 x 4 cm