A JAPANESE ARTICULATED IRON MODEL OF A DRAGON FISH OR SHACHIHOKO

A JAPANESE ARTICULATED IRON MODEL OF A DRAGON FISH OR SHACHIHOKO, JIZAI OKIMONO

EDO PERIOD OR LATER, 18TH OR 19TH CENTURY

The mythical beast with a fully articulated body constructed of hammered plates joined on the inside, its dragon head with short horns and long wavy whiskers, the mouth opening to reveal a flat tongue and sharp teeth, the body with carp-like scales and spiky fins, the eyes inlaid in gilt and shakudo, 42.5cm.

Provenance: from a private collection of jizai okimono. See Woolley & Wallis Salerooms, 14th November 2018, lot 1007, for a Myochin School articulated snake signed Muneyoshi from the same collection.

Shachihoko are sea monsters believed to cause rain. They are often used as ornaments on Japanese rooftops to protect buildings against fire.

When the Meiji restoration of 1868 forbade samurai from openly wearing swords, metalwork artists had to find alternative markets to avoid bankruptcy. Some turned towards producing everyday objects for the upper classes such as the Komai family, and others specialised in making okimono: ornaments for display. Jizai okimono are a subcategory of fully articulated metal sculptures, often depicting animals. A feat of ingenuity, this dragon fish's lifelike appearance must have made it an attractive souvenir for a wealthy tourist in Japan at the turn of the century.