A FINE INLAID WOOD ‘ONI NO NEMBUTSU’ OKIMONO

拍品描述

A FINE INLAID WOOD ‘ONI NO NEMBUTSU’ OKIMONO Japan, Edo (Tokyo), 19th century, late Edo (1615-1868) to Meiji period (1868-1912) Finely carved as a repentant demon seated with a drum suspended from his neck, its striking surface inlaid in bone. He holds a drum beater in one hand while resting the other on his knee. His large eyes are inlaid in mother-of-pearl with dark pupils, while his fearsome expression is vividly rendered with an agape mouth revealing rows of teeth flanked by sharp fangs and a broad nose with flaring nostrils. The neatly center-parted hair lends the once-ferocious demon an amusing air of newfound civility. HEIGHT 9.5 cm Oni no nembutsu (the invocation of Buddha by the devil) is a Japanese proverb that warns against hypocritical piety, an admonition that even those with the worst intentions can profess righteousness when it suits them. In folklore, the oni (demon) reciting Buddhist prayers epitomizes this paradox: a being of malevolent nature adopting the outward signs of devotion with no true faith behind it, highlighting the difference between external ritual and genuine spiritual sincerity. This theme became a vivid subject in Edo-Meiji popular culture, not only in oral tradition but also in visual arts, where it served as both moral lesson and comic inversion of religious imagery.

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