Japanese Folklore Tanuki Teakettle Style Sake Bottle

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Japanese Folklore Tanuki Teakettle Style Sake Bottle IMPORTANT NOTES Scroll down the page to see more photos of this item. Please know that items purchased from us will be shipped direct from California. Your item will arrive much sooner and the shipping cost will be far less than items being shipped direct from Japan. Take advantage of our combined shipping to save even more! DETAILS OF ITEM This piece measures 5.5 inches long by 3.5 inches tall. It is a sake bottle with a Tanuki in the shape of a semi-teakettle and it is called a Bunbuku Chagama. Tanuki, also known as a Badger Dog often appears in Japanese folklore with some supernatural ability to change its shape creating havoc by constantly getting into trouble. They are often regarded as a good luck charm due to their magical abilities. Once Upon a Time... Long ago there lived a poor old man who made his living by collecting rags. One day he found a Tanuki that had been caught in a trap and he set it free. The grateful animal wanted to thank the kind old man and changed itself into an iron teakettle so that the man could sell it. The old man found that kettle in front of his house the next day, but donated it to a priest at a nearby temple. The Tanuki's first attempt did not work because the priest filled the kettle with water and put it on the fire to boil water for tea. Frightened by the heat, the Tanuki gave himself away and the priest gave the kettle back to the old man. The animal approached the old man again and this time suggesting putting it on for show. The old man named the Tanuki "Bunbuku Chagama." "Bunbuku" means to spread happiness like the sputtering of a kettle when it comes to boil and "Chagama" means teakettle. His show became so popular that people came from far and wide to see the Tanuki's amusing dance, in which he pretended to be a semi-kettle shape like this piece, and the kindly old man became very rich. Based on this old Japanese folklore, many Tanuki teakettle motif items are made as a good luck charm. The happy smiling face of the Tanuki is a spout of this sake bottle. The bright shining eyes and a beautiful green Oribe style glaze add a lively appeal to the piece. The condition is very good and its age is from the 1980's. PLEASE VISIT MY EBAY STORE BY IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE BOOKMARK OUR AUCTIONS TO EASILY FIND US. THANKS FOR VIEWING THIS AUCTION.A FEW IMPORTANT NOTES:If you have any questions concerning this or other items we have up for auction, please don't hesitate to email me for an answer. We will do our best to email you a reply within one day. It is best to get your questions in early since we may not be available to respond to you within minutes or hours of the auction end. Of course, we will try to reply if it is possible. For all of those who wish to combine items, please email me to let me know of your intent and I will email you confirming this. This allows us to keep your winning items aside until you are ready to finalize your purchases. Items can only be combined for a two week period starting with the earliest winning item marking the beginning of the period. California residents will be charged a sales tax of 8.75% unless a valid California resale card is on file with us. Paypal allows for fast shipping. Thanks for looking and best of luck with your bid! inkfrog terapeak i000000 read more

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