Netsuke in the image of the Buddhist monks Kanzan and Jittoku

Materials: ivory

Dimensions: height 5 cm; width 4 cm; thickness 2.5 cm

Made in: Japan

Dated to: Meiji period, end of the 19th century

 

Netsuke, miniature figurines, used as ornaments and weights for carrying pouches, tobacco, and similar items on a string around the obi over a kimono. The depiction of the friends Kanzan and Jittoku, who are believed to have lived in China during the Tang Dynasty (816-907), was popular in Japan and has a deep meaning in Zen Buddhism. Kanzan was a monastic poet, thus holding a scroll with his poetry, while Jittoku was a monastic servant. They lived in nature and solitude. Kanzan and Jittoku symbolize brotherly love, mutual understanding, and harmony. The statue was brought back from a journey to East Asia aboard the light cruiser Aspern of the Austro-Hungarian Navy during the years 1900-1902 by Lieutenant Commander Fran Vilfan (Stražišče near Kranj 1874–Nice 1931). The Aspern was dispatched to East Asia to help suppress the Boxer Rebellion in China. The original is kept by the heirs, while a 3-D replica is on display in the museum.