- XVIII-XIX

L-41/4

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 3.3; Larghezza: 7.4

legno- laccatura

Portable cabinet of sacred images were quite common; during journeys and travels they allowed one to set up small altars and make offerings and prayers for the deities. The sacred images mainly included deities of esoteric Buddhism (mikkyō). Bivalve cabinet shapes were also quite common; the external lacquer covering also guaranteed excellent insulating quality. The internal image of the cabinet includes a triad of deities on a rocky spur; in the center is Daikokuten, God of wealth, standing on bales of rice. Accompanied by a sack and his magic mallet. On the left is Bishamonten with a halo in the shape of a rimbō (Wheel of the Law), a warrior god who protects faith. On the right is the female deity Kisshōten – Benzaiten, protector of happiness and fertility, with the torii on her head, the sacred key, and a gem in her hand, depicted in a hypostasis called Dai Benzaiten. The three deities belong to the group of the Seven Deities of Fortune, in Japanese Shichifukujin, and when they are depicted together, they form a propitiatory triad.

- XVII-XVIII

B-1147

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 10.3; Diametro: 4.2

Bronzo a fusione piena, con patinatura scura

Kangiten, the Buddhist form of Ganesha, is recognizable by his elephant head, the Hindu god of fortune who has the power to remove obstacles. The cult of Kangiten arrived in Japan between the 8th and 9th centuries from China together with esoteric Buddhism which includes many deities of Indian origin. At this stage he was represented as a single deity with several arms, similar to Ganesha. During the late Heian period (794-1185), however, images of couples of Kangiten (Sōshin Kangiten) appeared, in which two anthropomorphic figures with elephant heads, a male and a female, embrace; an iconography totally absent in the Indian tradition. The hugging Kangiten would represent a legend told in various Buddhist texts where the evil deity Vinayaka (another name for Ganesha) is pacified by the eleven-faced Kannon, who transformed into a beautiful woman and joins him, with the intention of putting him on the right path that leads to the understanding of Buddhist truths. The female has the toes above those of the male, a symbol of the submission of the malevolent nature of Vinayaka by Kannon. Kangiten, like the Indian Ganesha, was therefore initially seen as a malevolent god, creator of obstacles. Once pacified by Kannon, however, he becomes, on the contrary, a benevolent deity. The most common representations of Kangiten are small metal statuettes that were used in rituals in which oil was poured on the images. This statuette was probably used for this type of ceremony. The statuettes were then kept inside a cylindrical case and hidden from the view of the faithful. The Kangiten images are in fact secret images, not shown to the public due to their strong erotic meaning and they are therefore often preserved by Japanese temples as "hidden Buddhas" (hibutsu).

C-3

Unità di misura: cm; Altezza: 18; Diametro: 11.5

porcellana- pittura

Sake bottle (tokkuri) with a pear-shaped body, no foot and a short cylindrical neck. A blue-white cover covers the entire external surface except for the base, which is characterised by a dark chamois background on which a spiral is impressed. The body features a yoraku motif, composed of thin crossed grains forming lozenges decorated with tassels and pendants. The net is interrupted by two lobed green reserves with kotubuki alternating with two other Chinese fan-shaped folders containing a stylised, clawless dragon. Chrysanthemum corollas and leaves appear on the neck on a blue background. This type is known as "Arita porcelain" or "Imari", with kakiemon decoration.

- XVI

AA-4

Unità di misura: UNR

ferro, crine, pelle, seta, tessuti

Hotoke-do type armor. A large gold-colored dragon stands out on the armor; there is a helmet and neck guard, a mask with hair and protective elements for the legs and arms. The helmet is a Hoshi Suji kabuto with maedate mitsu kuwagata. A bowl (hachi) made of riveted segment-shaped plates with ribbed edges and spherical bosses, with rivets (shiten no byō) on the cap. On the top of the bowl there is a hole (tehen no ana or hachimanza) with a related ornamental ring (tehen no kanamono) with a floral brass decoration. On the back there is a flat plate decorated with a golden edge and a hook (agemaki no kan) with a related decorative knot (agemaki). There are shinobi no o, rope laces used to secure the helmet to the chin. The visor (maebashi) has five small pointed rivets and three larger flower rivets (sanko no byō). There is an iris petal motif decoration (shobu-gawa) with a worked leather insert and a blue, green, white and gold silk thread as a border and a twisted gold metal border (fukurin). Inserted into a kuwagatadai, riveted to the gilded metal visor to support the flat kuwagata horns with a vertical sword, gilded in the center of which is a tsunomoto (the additional maedate is missing). There are large fukigaeshi with an iris petal motif (shobu gawa) decoration, pointed decorative rivets, suede inserts and a crest (mon) of seven concentric circles within a larger circle (maru ni shichō丸に七曜), a crest that represents a five-pointed star in the form of a circle. Shikoro composed of three large lacquered lamellae, held together by red laces. The mask is a me no shita men, protecting the lower part of the face, with a horsehair moustache. Throat guard (yodare kake or tare) formed by four wavy lamellae held together by dark blue laces.

- XVIII

T-568

Unità di misura: UNR

Ferro patinato inciso e traforato

Tsuba” (鐔 or more commonly 鍔), sword guard/hand guard. The tsuba was an independent and removable part of the body of the katana (刀) that, yes, had as its original purpose that of safeguarding the hand of the person holding the sword, but which over time increasingly became an indicator of social status. It is a “simple” metal plate of which there are traces dating back to the end of the Kofun period (250 BC-538 AD), but which starting from the Edo period (1600-1868) took on increasingly complex and particular forms. If already between the 14th and 15th centuries, alloys based on soft metals began to be used instead of steel for their forging, it is from the Edo period that they took on the function of “status indicator” since, when the katana was placed in its scabbard (鞘, “saya”), they were the only visible part together with the hilt (柄, “tsuka”). In their manufacture, the use of gold or silver inserts was introduced and natural, mythical or fantastic elements began to be depicted on the surface of the tsuba, which therefore took on increasingly complex forms. This is particularly true for the “external” or “upper” part of the tsuba called “omote” (表). Tsuba with festoon of eighteen shells. Shell motif, belongs to the Kinai 記内家 school, active in Japan between the 17th and 18th centuries. This school was affiliated with the Yasutsugu (康継) family of blacksmiths, who produced blades for the Tokugawa. The distinctive feature of the Kinai style is the openwork modeled in round and executed with great mastery. The most recurring subjects are naturalistic elements, and, in particular, dragons. This school is also famous for its engravings on blades.