Vintage Japanese Carved Wood Foo Dog Pair Shishi Guardian Lions 10"H Red dragonflies were favored by samurai

dragonflies were favored by samurai as symbols of courage

Antique Japanese Porcelain Sake Cup or Sakazuki Gold TrimLate Meiji to early Showa Period c1900 to 1930's

Overall length: 11 3/4" (30cm)

Late Edo–Meiji PeriodHand-painted wood

A gas lamp standard at left marks the modernity of Meiji Tokyo

Vintage Japanese Carved Wood Foo Dog Pair Shishi Guardian Lions 10"H Red dragonflies were favored by samuraiThis is an antique pair of wooden statues of Chinese Foo Dog made in Japan. Chinese guardian lions, or imperial guardian lions, are a traditional Chinese architectural ornament. Typically made of stone, they are also known as stone lions or shishi ( shsh). They are known in colloquial English as lion dogs or foo dogs fu dogs. The concept, which originated and became popular in Chinese Buddhism, features a pair of highly stylized lionsoften one male