19th Century - Antique Japanese "Gyoban" Large Wooden Fish Buddist Monetary Drum
19th Century - Antique Japanese "Gyoban" Large Wooden Buddist Monastary Drum Fish. Likely from the "Meiji Restoration" period after 1867.
The Gyoban (wooden fish) is in the shape of a fish with an open slit in the bottom and suspended from the ceiling. It is traditionally found in front of Buddhist monasteries. When the Buddist monks are executing their duties (such as eating or lectures), a monk and a supervisor use the Gyoban drum to call all monks to go to their tasks or in from their tasks. Historically, this was the first wooden fish developed, which gradually evolved into the round mokugyo (temple block) used by Buddhists today.
Condition: This is a Gyoban that has been actively used by a Monastery for a very long time. There are distinct traces of the drumming on the belly of the fish. There has also been a piece of metal added to the tail in the first half of the 20th century, we suspect to allow the drum to hang from a chain without damaging the wood. In antique condition with all of the same user traces you'd expect from a 150 year old item.
Sizing:
Height: 27cm
Width: 21cm
Depth: 62cm
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