Carved Wood Tiger Slayer Relief, Wild-Haired Warrior Subduing the Beast on Rocks, Painted Details, 56 cm
Carved Wood Tiger Slayer Relief, Wild-Haired Warrior Subduing the Beast on Rocks, Painted Details, 56 cm
- Dispatch
- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
- Arrival
- United States · usually 4–7 days after dispatch, insured and tracked Check the Shipping Flowchart here
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A guide for this piece: about $68, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
The final figure is set by US Customs and depends on where the piece was made and the kind of object it is. Many antiques over a century old carry no ordinary duty; most jewellery and leather goods add a single-digit rate.
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- Character
- Ornate 7 of 10 ·
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- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
Every piece is measured by hand, in centimetres as Japan measures. Please allow 1–2 cm (about ½ inch) for the give of the material and the hand that held the tape. すべて手採寸（cm表記）。素材のゆとりや採寸の個人差により、1〜2cm程度の誤差が生じる場合がございます。あらかじめご了承ください。
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Object, sculpture and ceramics置物・彫刻・陶磁
Condition report
Good
- Giftable
- Mint
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Honest Wear
- As Found
Man against tiger
The oldest drama in Japanese carving, cut large: a warrior with flaming hair bearing down on a tiger that twists back with its jaws open. Flat-backed and made to be seen from the front, it hangs or stands like a stage set, with all its theatre facing the room.
Best for: Collectors of Japanese carving and folk art; statement walls
Condition notes
Wear, marks and surface soiling from age. Paint on hair, faces and the tiger's mouth survives.
Grades, ratings and commentary are given to the best of our ability, knowledge and experience, and condition remains partly a matter of personal perception. What we stand behind without qualification is authenticity, truthful description and provenance, to the best of our knowledge. How we grade
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A large Japanese carving of the tiger slayer: a wild-haired warrior pinning a snarling tiger to the rocks, cut from a single deep block of wood and touched with paint at the faces. 56 cm high and 60 cm across.
The Piece
The warrior kneels astride the beast, one hand gripping its neck, his head crowned by a mass of black-painted hair that flares like flame around a bearded, grimacing face. Beneath him the tiger twists back with its jaws wide, the mouth painted pink and the eyes yellow, its striped body carved in low ridges that follow the turn of the muscle. They struggle on a base of rock and curling water, with small chrysanthemum flowers cut into the stone.
Tiger slaying, tora taiji, is one of the great set pieces of Japanese carving, told of heroes such as Kato Kiyomasa and Watonai. This carving names no hero, and it is described here simply as the scene. The flat, plainly worked back with pierced openings suggests it was made to be seen from the front, in the manner of the panels carved for shrine buildings and festival floats.
Details
- Subject: Warrior subduing a tiger (tora taiji)
- Material: Carved wood with painted details
- Height: 56 cm (22.0 in)
- Width: 60 cm (23.6 in) at the widest
- Depth: 15 cm (5.9 in) at the deepest
- Markings: None noted
- Maker and date: Not stated
Condition
- Wear and marks from age, with surface soiling, as is natural for carved wood of this kind.
- The paint on the hair, faces and the tiger's mouth survives; every photograph is part of the description.
Condition grade B (good, signs of age) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Checked and photographed in Japan before dispatch. Keep it away from direct sun, heaters and damp; dust with a soft dry brush and avoid any polish or oil on the painted areas.
Delivery from Japan
Wrapped and boxed by hand in Japan and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service; its size and weight are reflected in the delivery charge. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything you wish to know before you buy, and see our published policy.
Considered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally. Explore more carving and craft in Japanese arts and antiques, or read our collector guides.
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Collectors also search: Japanese tiger slayer carving · tora taiji wood sculpture · festival float carving panel
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