Posted 14 years ago
vetraio50
(756 items)
I bought this figure of a monkey many years ago. It's identity was long a mystery to me. I finally worked on the Japanese character and finally found out that it is 'Masafumi'.
The orange lustre caught my attention when I saw it at the Salvo's.
In those days I was collecting Royal Lancastrian lustre wares.
But the mark below was Japanese.
It reminds me of the work of the Dutch ceramicist Jozef Mendes da Costa.
I believe it now is by Fujihira Masafumi.
Masaru = The demon queller
Monkey lore in Japan (and fox lore too) is closely related to Chinese geomancy (Ch: feng shui), a system for determining auspicious or inauspicious placements and orientations of cities, temples, houses, and graves. In Chinese thought, the northeast quarter is considered to be particularly inauspicious. The northeast direction is known as the "demon gate," which can be loosely translated as the place where "demons gather and enter." This belief was imported by the Japanese and is referred to as Kimon (literally "Demon Gate"). Kimon generally means ominous direction, or taboo direction. In Japan, both the monkey and the fox are guardians against evil Kimon influences.
In Japan, the monkey's role in guarding against demons originates from the Japanese word for monkey (saru), which is a homonym for the Japanese word "expel" (also pronounced saru). The latter word means to "dispel, punch out, push away, beat away." According to the legends of Japan's Mt. Hiei shrine-temple multiplex, this makes the monkey an "expeller of demons" -- in other traditions, the monkey is also thought to ward off thieves. In addition, Mt. Hiei proved to be a very fortunate choice for Saicho (766-822 AD), the founder of Tendai Buddhism in Japan, for the Tendai sect's main temple (Enryakuji) on Mt. Hiei is located to the northeast of the old imperial capital (Kyoto). According to Chinese geomantic views then popular at the Japanese court (early Heian Era), Kyoto was thought to be particularly vulnerable to evil influences from the northeast. The success of Saicho and Tendai Buddhism in Japan is thus related, in part, to the geomantic significance of Mt. Hiei's location northeast of Kyoto. The success of monkey lore in Japan is likewise partly due to this association. At the Hie Shrine on Mt. Hiei, the protective monkey is named MASARU.
Any input on this piece would be helpful to me.
A very belated thanks to ozmarty!
Many thanks mustangtony!
Many thanks Amber!
Many thanks ho2cultcha!
Many thanks Sean!
beautiful monkey! what's in his hand? is that a dunce cap on his head or a monk's mitre?
Many thanks ho2culture. The paraphenalia are Shinto religious ceremonial stuff I think. The hat is called "tate-eboshi". The robe is "jo-e" or pure cloth.
Shinto ("the way of the gods") is the indigenous faith of the Japanese people and as old as Japan itself. It remains Japan's major religion alongside Buddhism. Shinto does not have a founder nor does it have sacred scriptures like the sutras or the bible. "Shinto gods" are called kami. They are sacred spirits which take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility. Humans become kami after they die and are revered by their families as ancestral kami. The kami of extraordinary people are even enshrined at some shrines. The Sun Goddess Amaterasu is considered Shinto's most important kami. In the Meiji Period, Shinto was made Japan's state religion and Shinto priests became state officials.
The wand over his or her shoulder is called "haraegushi".
At the entrance of the Hie shrines, dedicated to Sannou, the deity from Mount Hiei (near Kyoto), there are usually two statues of monkey gods (Sarugami), a male and a female, guardians against evil spirits.
Also, Sarugami is the lord of the famous three monkeys that “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".
Monkey worship in Japan peaked in the Edo Era, and has declined significantly since then. Even so, the legacy of monkey faith is easily spotted in modern Japan. One can still find centuries-old stone statues with monkey motifs in many Japanese localities -- statues weathering away, unprotected from the elements, more than 300 years in age.
I now see that this figure is called Masaru.
The Demon Queller!
Many thanks SEAN68 and bratjdd!
I'm on the case.
I think!
Is it signed Masafumi?
Many thanks ho2cultcha!
Masafumi Fujihira? Kyoto?
Many thanks SEAN & AEON!
Many thanks Deanteaks!
Many thanks MANIKIN and SARAHHOFF too!
Many thanks for the loves TOM31675!
Many thanks CRAZYMUNKEE!
I thought you might like this one CRAZYMUNKEE!
Many thanks PHATBUDDAH!
Many thanks GETTHATMONKEYOUTOFME!
Many thanks VINTAGEFRAN!
Many thanks AGHCOLLECT!
Many thanks NORDICMAN 'n VINTAGEFRAN too !!!!
Many thanks CAPERKID !!!!!!!!!
Many thanks GETHATMONKEYOUTOFME !!!!!!!!
Good looking and colourful!!!
Many thanks RADEGRUNDER !!!!!!!
Many thanks. VYNIL & NEWFLD !,!!!!,!
Many thanks LAUREN, THOMAS & VYNIL !!!!
Many thanks KERAMIKOS !!!!!
I like how you tell a story with all of your posts. This one is beautiful and thank you for sharing.
Many thanks for your kind words ROCKIT !!!,!!!
Many thanks COLLECTABLES59 !!!!!!!!
Many thanks HO2CULTCHA !!!!!!!
Hi Thomas ..... comment 7 ???
Many thanks VCAL !!!!!
Many thanks JSCOTT !!!!!!!
Many thanks PHIL !!!