SHIBATA ZESHIN, IKEDA TAISHIN. Box with Design of Benkei and a Bell

SHIBATA ZESHIN (1807-1891) • IKEDA TAISHIN (1825-1903)

Box with Design of Benkei and a Bell

Box with Design of Benkei and a Bell. Artist: Shibata Zeshin (Japanese, 1807-1891); Ikeda Taishin (Japanese, 1825-1903). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: H. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm); W. 6 in. (15.2 cm); D. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm). Date: 1862. Musashibo Benkei (d. 1189), a historical figure known for phenomenal strength, can be identified here by the temple bell in his right hand and the Japanese halberd--one of the seven weapons with which he is associated--in his left. In his youth as a monk soldier at Enryakuji Temple on Mount Hiei, Benkei took the gigantic temple bell from Onjoji Temple, also known as Miidera, at the foot of Mount Hiei, dragging it with one arm up to the mountaintop compound. On the side of this box, Onjoji Temple appears in the foreground and Mount Hiei in the distance. Zeshin's pupil Ikeda Taishin (1825-1903) decorated the inside of the lid with a rosary design and a priest's Buddhist fringe used for preaching.

Mokume-nuri, gold, silver, red, black lacquer, takamaki-e, hiramaki-e

Edo period (1615-1868)

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

Model: No - Property: No
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4192 x 3354 px | 40.2 MB

35.5 x 28.4 cm | 14.0 x 11.2 in (300 dpi)