Day 3 - 8th June - Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo (Part 7)
Sankosho (Buddhist ritual implement in shape of an ancient Indian weapon with three-pronged ends)
Konpei (Ritual implement shaped like an ancient Indian tool for treating the eyes)
Mirror. Bai Ya playing the zither.
Shakujo (Priest's staff)
A khakkhara! It was quite small though. Not quite staff-like.
Priest's Robes
You need a lot of imagination to imagine these as 'Priest's Robes'
Record of the Imperial Bequest to Horyu-ji, 756 AD
This has kept in such good condition for 1250 years?!
Since I still had time (the museum closed at 8pm), I then went to the Tōyōkan (Asian Gallery).
Main building
There was a nice collection of Greco-Buddhist art.
Buddha
Atlas
Don't ask me why he has wings.
Dionysiac Scene
Goddess and attendent
She's huge. I don't know why.
Avalokitesvara
Buddha triad from Baoqingsi Temple, Xi'an, Shanxi Province
I find it amusing how they don't state the country of origin. I also wonder how they obtained this specimen. Maybe it was during an 'Incident' (ditto for other stuff from China).
Bodhisattva
Ditto
Ditto
They also had a selection of stuff from Egypt and the Near East because, unlike other Asian museums, they didn't politicise their collections - they just collected for knowledge's sake.
Their mummy wasn't very good, but I don't think I've seen a mummy's head exposed before. Or at least not one that was so badly preserved (this might've been a gift from Egypt - beats being ground up for medicine)
Wooden ibis statue
Ivory plaque
"Gift of Iraqi Government" - I wonder which one
Cuneiform Text on Clay Cone
Glazed bowl. Possibly Iran, 12th century
This appears to be an Islamic Harpy.
Cylinder stamps for decoration
Orange-ware Ibex Head-shaped Rhyton
They had some Cambodian stuff which they'd gotten in exchange from EFEO. Hah.
Oracle bone
Unidentified stone animal
Bronze money tree