Antique Japanese Carved Daikoku Figure - 01

Antique edo period well worn Daikoku figure. 

I acquired this and a number of other 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 (18th-19th Century)
This is a wooden carving of Daikokuten, one of Japan’s most popular deities, believed to have been created over 200 years ago during the Edo period.
Traditionally, divine or Buddhist statues (shinzo and butsuzo) were made by professional artisans.
However, these specialized works were extremely expensive and well out of the reach of common people. Statues carved by ordinary individuals themselves, driven by a sincere desire to worship their chosen deities, are referred to as "Minshu-butsu" (Folk-Buddhist Statues). (Though the name contains the word "Butsu" [Buddhist], it encompasses both Buddhist and Shinto divine statues.)
Since they were often carved by amateurs—such as carpenters or woodworkers who were merely imitating professional techniques—the craftsmanship is, in most cases, crude. Yet, these figures, born from simple, heartfelt faith, are sometimes considered more venerable than the "genuine" statues.

 
For a long time, Minshu-butsu were largely undervalued in the world of Japanese antiques. Recently, however, their appreciation has been rising, especially among younger generations, often recontextualized within the movement of Outsider Art or valued for their "Yurukawa" aesthetic (a term suggesting something "charmingly unrefined" or "loosely cute").
The first things that catch the eye when looking at this Daikokuten are the massive bale of rice and the large bag. Since the bale and the bag are symbols of good fortune and abundant harvest, the carver likely couldn't help but make them oversized. Carvings with Rice bails this large are quite rare.

 
The face is also very humble and endearing. Incidentally, when observing old Japanese divine and Buddhist statues, you will notice that many of them have turned dark or black. Daikokuten statues, in particular, are often pitch black. This is because Daikokuten is the god of "food/meals" and was typically enshrined near the cooking area. The statue was thoroughly blackened by the smoke and soot rising from the kamado (hearth) or irori (fireplace). The fact that the soot has rubbed off the bale and the bag is thought to be the result of the figure being touched or stroked by hands during prayer."


To me it seems like the bag was covered in some kind of paper or lacquer. A beautiful worn and old example. 

Read more about my meeting with Watanabe San in our Article below. 

Measures approx 11cm tall x 6cm wide x 7cm deep.