Trivia about the Dragon and the Twelve Chinese Zodiac Signs
Next year, 2024, will be the Year of the Dragon.
Therefore, we would like to introduce you to some of the dragon works that we carry at Takumi Japan.
The dragon is the fifth symbol of the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac.
The twelve Chinese zodiac signs were originally used in China to represent years, times, and directions. Later, twelve different animals were assigned to them.
The dragon is an imaginary animal. It is interesting that the dragon is included because all the other animals are real.
By the way, the direction of the dragon is east-southeast and the time is 7-9 a.m. It is also said to represent well-formed plants and trees.
Pick up dragon works from Japanese traditional crafts
Now, let me introduce the dragon pieces.
In some of the pictures below, the dragon pattern is not clearly visible, but you can see it in a larger picture by clicking on the name of the piece.
The firs is iron kettle made by Yamagata cast iron. The surface of the iron kettle is decorated with dragons. The piece on the right also has a dragon modeled on the spout. This is an unusual type of iron kettle.
Iron kettle Ashiya dragon pattern No.15 1.6L, Ouko Sato
Wax casting iron kettle, Ashiya dragon pattern Round 1.6L, Seiko Sato
Wax casting iron kettle, Dragon design 1.3L, - Takumi Sato
Next is from Higo inlay.
On the left is a paper knife and on the right is a paperweight. The dragon is very simply designed, and the gold dragon stands out against the black iron.
The following are items from Takaoka copperware.
The ornament on the left and the paperweight in the center are three-dimensional and seem to move inadvertently. The pen plate on the right is massive and perfect for a grown man.
Garden figurine dragon faucet - Takaoka copperware
Paperweight Dragon - Geni Futagami, Takaoka copperware
Pen tray, Cloud dragon - Geni Futagami, Takaoka copperware
The last two are a ceramic painting of Kutani ware and a sake cup of Osaka Naniwa Tinware.
It is drawn with a tiger, and it is very powerful. The dragon on the right sake cup also has a very powerful expression. The dragon in the ceramic painting is a rising dragon, a symbol of good luck.
Ceramic panel painting, Carved and colored glaze, Dragon and Tiger, Hand-drawn - Yoshihiro Yamaguchi, Kutani ware
Large sake cup, Carved style Dragon - Osaka naniwa pewterware
The dragon seems go well with metal work?
All of these are metal works, except for the Kutani ware ceramic paintings!
Does a strong impression of a dragon go well with metal works? Or was it just a coincidence at Takumi Japan?
These works will also be posted on Instagram.
The dragon is known to be a lucky animal. I would like to talk about it in detail another time, but please look at the auspicious things and welcome the New Year.
▼Takumi Japan Official Website
https://japantakumi.com/