12th Jun, 2026 13:00
Fine Japanese Art
102
AN IMPRESSIVE PAIR OF LARGE POLYCHROME AND GILT-LACQUERED WOOD KOMAINU (KOREAN GUARDIAN DOGS), KAMAKURA TO NANBOKUCHO PERIOD
Sold for €11,700
including Buyer's Premium
Japan, 13th-14th century, Kamakura period (1192-1333) to Nanbokucho period (1336-1392)
Both expressively carved, each with curled mane and tail, one with a short horn on the top of its head, the mouths carved to articulate the mantra syllables um and ah respectively, their heads with fierce expressions and wild eyes painted in lacquer behind the inlaid crystal. Each presented on a later multi-tiered base with gold-lacquered Imperial Tokugawa crests.
HEIGHT 52 cm and 47 cm (excl. bases), and 73 cm (each incl. base)
Provenance: From a private estate in Bel Air, Los Angeles, United States.
Condition: Good condition with expected wear, light warping with associated small gaps between segments, some possibly reinforced, flaking and minor losses to lacquer, few small chips to extremities. Presenting beautifully.
Komainu, literally “Korean dogs,” are lion-like guardian statues commonly placed in pairs at shrine and temple entrances to ward off evil. Believed to have arrived in Japan from China via Korea, their name derives from Koma, the Japanese word for the ancient Korean kingdom of Koguryo.
Stone and bronze lions began appearing as temple decorations during the Nara period (710-794), part of a sculptural lineage rooted in Indian and Chinese Buddhist art. Lions often flank images of the seated Buddha, symbolizing both protection and regal presence.
By the early Heian period (9th century), the two statues were distinct: the right-hand figure, komainu, looked dog-like, with an open mouth (agyou) and sometimes a small horn; the left, shishi, was lion-like with a closed mouth (ungyou). Over time, both came to be called komainu, differing only in their open or closed mouths - a pairing known as a-un.
Auction comparison:
Compare a closely related pair of lacquered wood komainu, dated Nanbokucho-Muromachi period, 14th-15th century, at Christie’s,15 April 2016, New York, lot 16 (sold for USD 13,750 or approx. EUR 16,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
#Expert video Part 2 JPN0626#
Japan, 13th-14th century, Kamakura period (1192-1333) to Nanbokucho period (1336-1392)
Both expressively carved, each with curled mane and tail, one with a short horn on the top of its head, the mouths carved to articulate the mantra syllables um and ah respectively, their heads with fierce expressions and wild eyes painted in lacquer behind the inlaid crystal. Each presented on a later multi-tiered base with gold-lacquered Imperial Tokugawa crests.
HEIGHT 52 cm and 47 cm (excl. bases), and 73 cm (each incl. base)
Provenance: From a private estate in Bel Air, Los Angeles, United States.
Condition: Good condition with expected wear, light warping with associated small gaps between segments, some possibly reinforced, flaking and minor losses to lacquer, few small chips to extremities. Presenting beautifully.
Komainu, literally “Korean dogs,” are lion-like guardian statues commonly placed in pairs at shrine and temple entrances to ward off evil. Believed to have arrived in Japan from China via Korea, their name derives from Koma, the Japanese word for the ancient Korean kingdom of Koguryo.
Stone and bronze lions began appearing as temple decorations during the Nara period (710-794), part of a sculptural lineage rooted in Indian and Chinese Buddhist art. Lions often flank images of the seated Buddha, symbolizing both protection and regal presence.
By the early Heian period (9th century), the two statues were distinct: the right-hand figure, komainu, looked dog-like, with an open mouth (agyou) and sometimes a small horn; the left, shishi, was lion-like with a closed mouth (ungyou). Over time, both came to be called komainu, differing only in their open or closed mouths - a pairing known as a-un.
Auction comparison:
Compare a closely related pair of lacquered wood komainu, dated Nanbokucho-Muromachi period, 14th-15th century, at Christie’s,15 April 2016, New York, lot 16 (sold for USD 13,750 or approx. EUR 16,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
#Expert video Part 2 JPN0626#
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