An Arita porcelain model of a lion-dog or 'Shishi', circa 1680

Footnotes

Provenance
With Christophe Perlès, 2023

Literature
White, Mary, People at the Whites' House, Vol.5, 2024, p.210

The Shishi (獅子), often translated as 'lion' or 'lion-dog', holds a prominent and symbolic role in Japanese art and culture. Although lions are not native to Japan, the Shishi entered Japanese artistic and religious traditions through the influence of Chinese and Korean art, where the lion was revered as a guardian creature associated with Buddhism.

In Japanese art, Shishi are most commonly depicted as guardian figures, often appearing in pairs known as Komainu ('Korean dogs') at the entrances of temples, shrines, and sometimes gardens. These pairs typically include one with its mouth open (symbolizing the sound 'a') and one with its mouth closed (symbolizing 'um'), together representing the beginning and end of all things, akin to the Sanskrit 'Aum'. This duality expresses protection, balance, and the cyclical nature of existence. In Buddhist iconography, Shishi serve as protectors of the dharma and companions to deities such as Monju Bosatsu (Manjushri), the bodhisattva of wisdom, whose lion mount represents fearlessness in pursuing enlightenment.

By the mid-17th century, Arita porcelain, including Shishi sculptures, became an important export commodity through the port of Imari, reaching Europe via the Dutch East India Company. These lion-dog figures captivated European collectors, who viewed them as exotic curiosities and symbols of the mysterious East. Surviving examples can be found today in collections such as the Ashmolean Museum, The British Museum, and The Rijksmuseum, testifying to their wide appeal and the early globalization of Japanese decorative arts.

Japanese porcelain Shishi are found in a variety of models. Compare with other (polychrome) models illustrated by C.J.A. Jõrg, Fine and Curious, Japanese Export Porcelain in Dutch Collections, 2003, p.277, no.346, and by Soame Jenyns, Japanese Porcelain, pl.62B.