Motifs and Symbols: Animals

japan, art, design, animal, motif, symbol

  • Carp in a Stream by Utagawa Hiroshige, c.1833. Museum no. E.302-1895

    Carp in a Stream by Utagawa Hiroshige, c.1833. Museum no. E.302-1895

    Carp in a Stream
    Utagawa Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)
    Japan
    c. 1833
    Woodblock print
    Museum no. E.302-1895

    A signed & lettered colour woodblock of a carp swimming in blue water, the light catching its scales. The carp is a symbol of the Samurai and can represent courage, dignity, resignation of fate,  endurance and good fortune. It can also symbolize  love.

  • Gift cover (fukusa) featuring cranes, 19th century. Museum no. T.262-1959

    Gift cover (fukusa) featuring cranes, 19th century. Museum no. T.262-1959

    Detail of a gift cover (fukusa)
    Japan
    19th century
    Silk tapestry
    Museum no. T.262-1959

    Detail of a gift cover or fukusa showing cranes;with red caps and white and  blue feathers on a very dark blue ground. Cranes in Japanese textiles generally represent longevity and good fortune. They are most closely associated with Japanese New Year and wedding ceremonies.

  • Netsuke of a Tiger, 1750 - 1850. Museum no. A.939-1910

    Netsuke of a Tiger, 1750 - 1850. Museum no. A.939-1910

    Netsuke
    Japan
    c. 1750 - 1850
    Wood, mother-of-pearl
    Museum no. A.939-1910

    Netsuke (toggle) in the shape of a tiger with mother-of-pearl green eyes, its mouth open as if growling. The tiger motif denotes courage, and is an attribute of warrior heroes.

  • Kimono with butterfly design, 1830 - 1880. Museum no. T.269-1960

    Kimono with butterfly design, 1830 - 1880. Museum no. T.269-1960

    Kimono
    Japan
    1830 - 1880
    Silk and silk embroidery
    Museum no. T.269-1960

    Outer kimono (uchikake) with long swinging sleeves (furisode) of white figured silk (rinzu) and embroidery  of flowers, butterflies and fences in coloured silks. The butterfly is the symbol of joy and longevity, and also embodies the souls of both the living and the dead.

  • Textile with a tortoise design. Museum no. T.134-1968

    Textile with a tortoise design. Museum no. T.134-1968

    Textile with tortoise design
    Japan
    19th century
    Cotton with paste-resist decoration (tsutsugaki)
    Museum no. A.939-1910

    Detail of a length of fabric showing a grey  tortoise climbing through an orange & white striped opening on a deep blue ground. In Japanese mythology the tortoise carries the world on its back and is the guardian of the northern section of the universe, together with the snake. Its shell is believed to show sacred inscriptions, and it is believed to live to an exceptional age. The tortoise is associated with longevity.

  • Netsuke of a frog on a lotus leaf, 18th century. Museum no. A.982-1910

    Netsuke of a frog on a lotus leaf, 18th century. Museum no. A.982-1910

    Netsuke
    Japan
    c. 1750 - 1850
    Ebony
    Museum no. A.982-1910

    Netsuke (toggle) in the shape of a frog sitting on a lotus leaf. The frog symbolises good luck, and is often worn as a charm when travelling, particularly on journeys over water. The lotus flower denotes spiritual flowering, and is a central motif of Buddhist philosophy.

  • Button netsuke with spider-devil design, 19th century. Museum no. 564-1904

    Button netsuke with spider-devil design, 19th century. Museum no. 564-1904

    Netsuke
    Japan
    19th century
    Ivory
    Museum no. 564-1904

    Large button netsuke with design of the  Spider-Devil, a beautiful woman riding a spider and  reading a scroll, with a spiders web in the background.  In Japan is seen as a symbol of industrious work, and can foretell the visit of a good friend. It can have more sinister attributes, as it is considered to be the weaver of the web of illusion.

  • Inro with dragonfly design, 18th century. Museum no. W.419-1910

    Inro with dragonfly design, 18th century. Museum no. W.419-1910

    Inro
    Japan
    18th century
    Porcelain and laquer relief
    Museum no. W.419-1910

    Inro (small box) with dragonflies in porcelain and lacquer relief. Dragonflies are emblems of martial success, and also a symbol of late summer and early autumn.

  • Silver dish with swallow design, 1860 - 1880. Museum no. A.939-1910

    Silver dish with swallow design, 1860 - 1880. Museum no. A.939-1910

    Silver dish
    Japan
    1860 - 1880
    Patinated copper, silver and gilt, gold
    Museum no. 354-1880

    Silver dish with incised & applied decoration in  patinated copper, silver & gilt with shibuichi foot ring.  Decorated with foliate  branches (leaves and bud in copper and gold) and  bamboo shoots framing two swallows (copper and  gold) and an insect (butterfly or bee possibly) in flight. The swallow is a symbol of good luck, fertility and fidelity.