Antique Japan Rice Bowl Guardian Komainu Shishi Chaw (02/16/2008)...

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Antique Japan Rice Bowl Guardian Komainu Shishi Chawan

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Antique Japan Rice Bowl Guardian Komainu Shishi Chawan

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Sold Date: 02/16/2008
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Ethnic, Folk & Native American Art

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Description

This old and very beautiful Japanese porcelain rice bowl features a light green finish with hand-painted geometric patterns along the inside lip and the detailed image of a mythical komainu guardian lion at the inside bottom (please read below to learn more about komainu ). This beautiful old bowl was made more than 50 years ago and carries a darkened patina which is especially evident on the unglazed foot of the bowl. The bowl is in good condition with no chips or cracks though t are numerous stains and areas of discoloration from age. This bowl came to us as a set of five. Please click to see other available bowls from this set.

A highlight of this piece - in addition to it's expert craftsmanship - is the incredible celadon glaze. Developed fifteen hundred years ago in China, the celadon family of glazes are today recognized as some of the finest ever created. Noted for it's transparent gloss or semi-gloss surface and gray green to blue green to jade green color, the glazes were developed to imitate the natural beauty of jade. The color variations are the result of a pooling effect w the glaze settles into low spots on the piece producing a thicker layer and deeper hue of green. High spots on the piece then receive a thinner coat of glaze resulting in a lighter shade of green with tantalizing hints of the cool, white porcelain beneath.

Now let's talk about the komainu figure decorating the bottom of this bowl... Shinto is the native religion of Japan and many Shinto shrines will include two fierce-looking dog statues guarding their entrance (see last images below). The dogs (well, actually one is a lion), are normally seen as a pair and are typically found seated just inside the distinctive torii shrine gate. When entering the shrine the figure on the right (that's the lion) with the open mouth is thought to be uttering the sound " ah " (meaning birth) while the figure on the left (dog) makes the sound " un " (meaning death). In combination the two figures are tasked with protecting the sacred ground of the shrine while the sounds they symbolically utter represent the cycle of birth and death. If my description is a bit confusing regarding dog vs. lion then this is because while the figures are historically different animals, contemporary Japanese usually describe both as simply "shrine dogs" or komainu . It is interesting to note that temples for Japan's other major religion Buddhism, often have their own protectors guarding the gates. Buddhist temples are guarded not by komainu , but instead by carved images of deities who are thought to be brothers and who are called the Nio Guardians. The Nio are commonly seen standing with fierce postures on either side of many temple gates. Like the komainu , one brother has his mouth open while the other brother's mouth is closed. Interestingly, the Nio are thought to be uttering the same sounds as the komainu with the same symbolic meaning of birth and death. This fact is yet another example of the interesting and harmonious coexistence in Japan of Buddhism and Shinto , which together form the spiritual foundation of contemporary Japanese life.

Size:
Height: 2.1 inches (5.5 centimeters)
Diameter of bowl at lip: 5.7 inches (14.5 centimeters)
Weight: 10.7 ounces (307 grams)

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