Hardwood Sculptures and Carvings

To keep her elaborate hairstyle intact while sleeping, a well-to-do Qing-dynasty woman once used this ceramic headrest as a pillow. The headrest is shaped as a crouching house cat, w...

A recent Japanese acquisition Rarely seen, this Japanese octopus fishing pot was used to trap octopus on old Japan's high seas coastline areas. Also known as a tako tsubo it dates t...

Antique Japanese tall ikebana vase / planter from a yew wood tree trunk with beautifully aged glowing surface color and great natural sculptural for...

Special find from our last Japanese Acquisition Here's a beautiful and unique way to accent your indoor or outdoor garden space with these treasures from Japan! This special ...

From our recent Japanese Acquisition Travels- a big and lovely big 13 inch diameter hand painted bowl from Japan. Japan hard to find early hand painted ceramic lush "garden scene" serving bowl, circa 1910. Inside painting depicts elite individual with his attendants seated amidst a three some of cranes, plush patterns, foliage and seas. The exterior a dragon style...

This is a natural wood in the shape of an old Japanese penis. It is extremely rare. It is believed to have been collected during the Meiji period (1860...

A massive larger than life terracotta buddha bust of Guan Yin, China, early 20th century. Broken and restored with wear and tear from enduring exposure to the elements. Size: 75 cm high. Weight: 40 kg. Guanyin, Kwanyin, Guanshiyin or Guanyin Pusa is the Chinese interpretation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (the goddess of comfort and mercy). In addition, she is seen in Taoism as an immortal. The scripture dedicated to her is Dabeizhou. Guanyin is the goddess of compassion and the sea. She is one of the three saints of the western paradise, along with Mahasthamaprapta and Amitabha Buddha; they are worshiped to save departed loved ones from hell and grant them entrance to the western paradise. Guanyin Chinese name Traditional Chinese 觀音 Simplified Chinese 观音 Transcriptions Full Chinese name Traditional Chinese 觀世音 Simplified Chinese 观世音 Literal meaning "[The One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World" Transcriptions Second alternative Chinese name Traditional Chinese 觀自在 Simplified Chinese 观自在 Literal meaning "Lord who Gazes down on the World" Transcriptions Burmese name Burmese ကွမ်ယင် IPA [kwàɴ jɪ̀ɴ] Tibetan name Tibetan སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས Vietnamese name Vietnamese alphabet Quan Âm (Quán Âm) Quán Thế Âm (Quan Thế Âm) Quán Tự Tại Chữ Hán 觀音 觀世音 觀自在 Thai name Thai กวนอิม, พระอวโลกิเตศวรโพธิสัตว์ RTGS Kuan Im, Phra Avalokitesuan Korean name Hangul 관음, 관세음, 관자재 Hanja 觀音, 觀世音, 觀自在 Transcriptions Mongolian name Mongolian script ᠨᠢᠳᠦ ᠪᠡᠷ ᠦᠵᠡᠭᠴᠢ Japanese name Kanji 観音, 観世音, 観自在 Hiragana かんのん, かんぜおん, かんじざい Transcriptions Indonesian name Indonesian Kwan Im, Kwan She Im, Awalokiteswara Filipino name Tagalog Guanyin (ᜄᜓᜀᜈᜌᜒᜈ) Sanskrit name Sanskrit अवलोकितेश्वर (Avalokiteśvara) Khmer name Khmer អវលោកិតេស្វរៈ (Avalokitesvarak), អវលោកេស្វរៈ (Avalokesvarak), លោកេស្វរៈ (Lokesvarak) Hmong name Hmong Kabyeeb, Niam-Txiv Kabyeeb, Dabpog, Niam-Txiv Dabpog Guanyin (traditional Chinese: 觀音; simplified Chinese: 观音; pinyin: Guānyīn) is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion.[note 1] She was first given the appellation "Goddess of Mercy" or "Mercy Goddess" by Jesuit missionaries in China.[1] Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means "[The One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World."[2] On the 19th day of the sixth lunar month, Guanyin's attainment of Buddhahood is celebrated.[3] Some Buddhists believe that when one of their adherents departs from this world, they are placed by Guanyin in the heart of a lotus, and then sent to the western pure land of Sukhāvatī.[4] Guanyin is often referred to as the "most widely beloved Buddhist Divinity"[5] with miraculous powers to assist all those who pray to her, as is mentioned in the Pumen chapter of Lotus Sutra and Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra. Several large temples in East Asia are dedicated to Guanyin, including Shaolin Monastery, Longxing Temple, Puning Temple, Nanhai Guanyin Temple, Dharma Drum Mountain, Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, Shitennō-ji, Sensō-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, Sanjūsangen-dō, and many others. Guanyin's abode and bodhimaṇḍa in India is recorded as being on Mount Potalaka. With the localization of the belief in Guanyin, each area adopted their own Potalaka. In Chinese Buddhism, Mount Putuo is considered the bodhimaṇḍa of Guanyin. Naksansa is considered to be the Potalaka of Guanyin in Korea. Japan's Potalaka is located at Fudarakusan-ji. Tibet's Potalaka is the Potala Palace. Vietnam's Potalaka is the Hương Temple. There are several pilgrimage centers for Guanyin in East Asia. Putuoshan is the main pilgrimage site in China. There is a 33 temple Guanyin pilgrimage in Korea which includes Naksansa. In Japan, there are several pilgrimages associated with Guanyin. The oldest one of them is the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, a pilgrimage through 33 temples with Guanyin shrines. Guanyin is beloved by most Buddhist traditions in a nondenominational way and found in most Tibetan temples under the name Chenrézik (Wylie: Spyan ras gzigs). Guanyin is also beloved and worshipped in the temples in Nepal. The Hiranya Varna Mahavihar located in Patan is one example. Guanyin is also found in some influential Theravada temples such as Gangaramaya Temple, Kelaniya and Natha Devale nearby Temple of the Tooth...

From our recent Japanese Acquisition Travels- a big and lovely big 13 inch diameter hand painted bowl from Japan. Japan hard to find early hand painted ceramic lush "garden scene" serving bowl, circa 1910. Inside painting depicts elite individual with his attendants seated amidst a three some of cranes, plush patterns, foliage and seas. The exterior a dragon style...

This is a very old wooden black Daruma doll. It was made in the Meiji period (1860s-1900s). The material is cedar wood. This wooden form is the original D...

A well cast pair of Japanese mixed metal okimono figures of Buddhist guardians, known as Nio or Dharmapala, protectors of Buddhist faith, Meiji Period, Japan. The smiling bronze g...

Very old Japanese wooden Daruma doll. It was made during the Meiji period (1860s-1900s). The material is cedar wood. This wooden mould is the prototype of the Daruma doll. Many Daruma dolls were mass-produced using this wooden form...

Beautiful marble Quan Yin. Very large and incredibly heavy (needs additional padding on the underside or a stand to help balance the bust so that it ca...