Antique Japanese Ivory Okimono
Manjusri
Monju Snow Lion
Edo, Circa 18th-19th Century
H 3.2in.(8cm.), W 2.25in.(5.5cm.), D 1in.(2.5cm.)
Condition: Good w. small age crack

Cream to golden tones with burnished lights enliven the surface. This small statue of the Buddha Manjusri_ the personification of knowledge and wisdom, full of benevolence, being also associated with happiness and good fortune, is seen here riding upon a golden haired lion, representing his courageous power over the forces of life and death. He is holding a sacred book of scriptures. His hair is arranged in a high bun, fronted with a crown bearing an abbreviated image of Amitabha. He sits upon a lotus which seems to spring from a cloud atop the lion’s back. A cub is seen at the lion’s left paw, indicating that this lion is a female. Also intriguing is the expression of the animal and its physiognomy in general. Since lions were unknown in Japan, the need to depict one brings up many sorts of fabulous and imaginative interpretations. The incomparable characterization of this beast is full of personality. Rather than the usual forbidding appearance, this lion with its eyes gaping upward toward its rider offers a shaggy dog-like head, and with jaws agape showing uneven fangs and a bulbous nose, it has a endearing appearance which suggest spiritual consciousness well suit for this guardian of buddhist dharma.