The miniature figure of Kannon stands on a lotus blossom base in a rocky outcropping, encased in a boat-shaped body halo or mandala. He is represented as an Indian prince with a crown, jewels and skirt, and he holds a bottle of heavenly nectar. Polychrome pigments have been used to color his hair and jewels, and there are gilt highlights on both the figure and the rocks. Kannon (called “Kuan-yin” in Chinese) is the bodhisattva or saint of mercy and compassion. The Japanese term Kannon literally means "watchful listening," and it is often translated as "the one who sees/hears all." This is indeed the task of the compassionate Kannon -- to witness and listen to the prayers and cries of those in difficulty in the earthly realm and to help them achieve enlightenment.

The tiny figure of Kobo Daishi is seated inside the doors of a miniature shrine. He sits on a wood chair which rests atop a pedestal, and his shoes are placed underneath the front of the chair in customary form. He holds a Buddhist rosary in his left hand and a vajra (mace with four prongs symbolizing a thunderbolt) in his right hand. There are gilt highlights on the figure and the shrine doors and drapery. Kobo Daishi (774-835) is one of the most venerated figures of early Japanese Buddhism. He was the founder of the Shingon (True Word) sect of Buddhism, as well as a philosopher, poet, educational reformer, painter and calligrapher.

Produced mainly at the Seto kilns in Aichi Prefecture, oil plates were special flat plates with a unique perpendicular edge. They were placed on the lower level of the andon lantern where they were used to catch oil drippings and soot from the burnt wick or oil feeder above. These plates were in use from the mid-seventeenth century, when andon were first used indoors, until the early 1900’s, when the use of oil lamps and electric lights became widespread.

Most andon plates feature the design known as “tetsu-e” (“iron pictures”), the freestyle images painted in iron-oxide pigments directly onto the clay, frequently of sparse landscapes or subjects from nature. Some, such as this plate, were also further decorated with the copper green Oribe glaze. This type of oil plate is known as a “katagake” (“shoulder glazing”), with the thick green glaze on the top part of the plate and the brown tetsu-e pictures on the bottom. Andon plates with green Oribe glaze were produced mainly in Akatsu Village, which made pottery for and was protected by the Owari clan.

The fascination of aburazara for the collectors of Japanese folk art lies in their painted motifs. Their simple designs always possessed a spontaneous vitality, and the decoration on this plate is large in scale and freely executed. Considered a quintessential example of Japanese ceramic folk art, Seto oil plates are represented in most major collections of mingei or Japanese folk ceramics. See “Andon (Lantern) Plates” by Yamazaki Masumi, the cover article in DARUMA 42 for many wonderful examples of these oil plates, including Figure 6, which is similar in style to this one.

Known as “neko-men jizo” or “jizo with a cat face,” this particular type of stone welcoming cat has a long history which can be traced to an early legend involving a Tokyo area temple called Jisho-in. According to documents held at the temple, sometime during the mid-16th century there was an intense fight between two individuals: Toshima and Ota. While fighting, Ota became disoriented and stumbled upon a black cat which led him to the temple where he could recuperate. Upon regaining his strength, Ota was able to defeat Toshima. In gratitude for the little black cat which saved his life, Ota ordered that a stone jizo (a Buddhist saint) be fashioned in the shape of a cat. (A similar example can be found in Figure 4 of “Maneki Neko: Feline Fact and Fiction” by noted authority Alan Pate, the cover story in DARUMA 11.)

Originally the term maneki neko referred to a cat’s supposed ability to charm and bewitch passersby. This connotation gave way to an auspicious interpretation, and today the maneki neko symbolizes a merchant’s success in attracting customers as well as a householder’s financial good fortune. Such cats sit upright, with one paw lifted in a welcoming gesture to “beckon in” customers or good fortune. These delightful creatures exhibit a raw individuality that makes them completely unpredictable. The older maneki neko possess an innocent charm and beauty that is the hallmark of Japanese folk art. It is exceedingly rare to find them executed in stone.

For centuries, Bizen has been highly regarded for its dark red-brown stoneware made from iron-rich clay with a natural ash glaze. Bizen is unglazed but fired at such a high a temperature that a natural glaze is formed on the surface. Also upon firing, wood ash flies up in the kiln and is deposited randomly on the pottery, giving each piece its own individuality and vitality. The beauty inherent in the unglazed, red-brown clay forms was often left untouched, giving the vessels the luster of burnished bronze. The height Bizen pottery was attained in the 18th century, and specimens from that period are much finer than subsequent works.

This important tokkuri is ex. collection R. B. Caldwell of Dallas, TX, a collector well known for his knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture, particularly in the area of tea ceremony ceramics.

Incense (“ko”) played an important role in the tea ceremony, which provided a setting for the admiration of the utensils associated with it. Among the most charming of these were the kogo, small covered containers used to store aromatic wood chips which were burned at certain points during the formal tea ceremony. They were also sometimes set out as display objects within special waiting rooms where guests could relax before the ceremony began or during scheduled interludes. Exhibiting a great deal of imagination, careful observation of nature and a playful sense of humor, kogo naturally came to be enjoyed outside their role as objects to be used and admired in the tea ceremony. They were exchanged as gifts and treasured for their own sake, and their popularity gave rise to a seemingly endless variety of shapes and decorative styles.

The potters who made kogo took pride in creating highly original and often intricate forms. Many of the boxes have ornamental surface decorations, and others are treated as miniature sculptures. The production of kogo was at its peak during the first half of the 19th century. During this period, it was common practice for potters to sign or stamp their names on their work. The most extensive collection of antique Japanese ceramic kogo – more than three thousand -- can be found in The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. (See “Japanese Incense Boxes Rediscovered: The Georges Clemenceau Kogo Collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.”)