Softypapa

Here is the special piece I picked up at the flea market yesterday (the item I was carrying around in the box), now settling into its new home along the trail through our backyard bamboo grove.

As I was looking it over, several Japanese antique dealers gathered around and began sharing what they could tell from the writing carved into the statue, along with their own knowledge of pieces like this. They identified it as an old roadside devotional stone from Japan’s Edo period, with inscriptions dating it to around 1778. The carved date references the 8th month of the old Japanese lunar calendar, placing it roughly in September or October by today’s calendar. They also suggested it may have originally served as a horse-related memorial or protective statue, which I found especially interesting.

After doing a bit of research of my own, their assessment appears to have been remarkably accurate. Not a bad little find for ¥10,000 (about $62 USD), and I’m happy to be able to give this beautiful old piece of Japan a quiet place to rest once again. 🪴 🎎

I picked up a real treasure from 18th-century Japan today. A first for me—and something I had never encountered before.

The purchase became even more interesting when a small crowd of older Japanese gentlemen gathered around to admire it and enthusiastically explain a bit of its history. Moments like that always make these outings memorable.

I’ll reveal what it is later, once I’ve found the perfect place for it in our garden. 👀🇯🇵

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