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Kanso House

Antique Japanese Carved Daikoku - 06

Antique Japanese Carved Daikoku - 06

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Regular price $225.00
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A lovely stylised antique Daikoku figure. 

I acquired this and a number of other gods and Daikoku figures from a dealer in Tokyo who specialises in rare and unique folk sculpture, in his words Japan's Daikoku expert! We spent a wonderful afternoon talking about antiques and discussing the many nuances of the different sculptures, how to tell the age of the sculptures based on certain design features.

Here is Watanabe San's description of this Daikoku Sculpture:

"Daikokuten (19th–20th Century) Since we've introduced so many of these pieces, you may already be quite familiar with Daikoku! Because he is the most intimate and beloved god in Japan, nearly every household once enshrined a statue of Daikoku.
Historically, in Japan, people believed that a deity resided in every single pebble and every single leaf—a concept known as yaoyorozu (eight million gods).

 
However, as the economy developed and people's lives became richer, the culture of enshrining god and Buddha statues has largely faded. Even so, faith in Lord Daikoku remains deeply rooted. You can still see stores and restaurants named after Daikoku all over town. Furthermore, because of his very approachable appearance, he sometimes serves as a local mascot for town development initiatives. As the god of business prosperity, he is popular among company owners, who sometimes enshrine him on a kamidana (household altar) in their office. Lord Daikoku is such an accessible figure that he can truly be called a part of the "Japanese heart."

 
Now, this Daikoku certainly looks as though he will bring good fortune. Pay close attention to the small mallet in his right hand. This is called the Uchide no Kozuchi (a magic money-mallet), and tradition says that when it is shaken, gold coins appear. A wood carving of Daikoku with such a magnificent mallet is a little rare, in my opinion. His sack is also impressively large; this sack is said to be filled with treasure.

We sincerely hope you welcome this statue of Daikoku into your home and that you feel both his power to draw in good fortune and the spirit of the "Japanese heart.""

What I like about this Daikoku is the crisp details, the carving on the rice bails is especially fine, as is the carving of the clothes. 

Measures 13cm tall x 8cm wide x 7cm deep

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An educational meeting

Tokyo 31-08-25

At the end of August I met Watanabe san, a passionate dealer in Tokyo who calls himself Japan's Daikokuten sculpture expert. We met at a dimly lit cafe and over the next 5 hours he brought out piece after piece sharing the history of each one, explaining to me the how sculpture designs have changed over the centuries, how to indentify a rare piece vs a common everyday sculpture.

Adding to the collection

I left the meeting exhausted, we had a translator with us who was amazing but listenting to two languages and trying to understand everything I was learning was alot ot take in. I did manage however to buy from him a small collection of wonderful sculptures to bring back to Australia.

Sharing the passion of daikokuten

Watanabe Collection

We can now share these pieces with you and explain the history and meaning behind each one, all thanks to Watanabe San's generosity with his extensive knowledge.

Read more

Read more about my meeting with Watanabe san in our Articles Section

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All you need to know

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We dispatch all orders within 2 business days via Australia Post. For extra large items, we may use a courier and will communicate with you about the options.

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About us

Kanso House is an online store, occasionally hosting popups in Victoria, Australia.

We are a family run small business with a passion for beautiful functional objects.

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