Vintage · Made in Japan · one of one
Kutani porcelain · guardian lion · 38 cm
Kutani Shishi Lion Figurine
A Kutani shishi, the guardian lion, 38 cm tall, white with a gold mane, a red cord and tassels held in its jaws. Large enough to stand as the centrepiece of a study or an entryway.
$380 Free shipping to 32 countries
Order by December 8 to make sure it arrives before Christmas.
We ship to mainland China: free, tracked. Import duties, if any, are paid on delivery. Where we ship
A gift for luck and protection · a new home
Leaves Fukuoka within three business days by EMS, with tracking.
The story: Kutani wareWatch the 64-second film, or read it →What buyers say · ★★★★★ on Etsy
“Received updates regarding the item I purchased and when it arrived could tell that it was packed with care; my fragile ceramic bunny arrived in perfect condition! A wonderful purchase and I would buy from this shop again”
Jessica · United States
1 more from buyers
“Item was as described and in photos shown. Excellent quality. Seller very knowledgable and took the time to explain everything”
Tiang N. · Australia
- Made in Japan. Made in Japan, found in Japan, and sent to you from Fukuoka.
- One of one. This exact piece, photographed in our studio in Fukuoka.
- Returns within 14 days of delivery. Not right? Send it back as it came and we refund the full price, return postage included.
- Packed safely, sent by EMS within three business days, fully insured, with tracking.
Duties, checkout and extras
- ★ 5.0 on Etsy · Star Seller. Read the reviews ↗
- Import tax. It depends on your country; if any is due, it is collected on delivery.
- US import duties. Already included in the price: nothing to pay at your door.
- Secure checkout by Stripe — cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay. No account needed.
- Two pieces, one parcel. Each extra piece in the same order is $15 off at checkout.
- Orders of $200 or more travel with a gift to keep: Japanese chopsticks with a rest in a paulownia box, or a Nara kaya-cloth handkerchief.
The story
The lion is the king of beasts, the story goes, and fears nothing on earth except one small thing: a parasite that lives in its own mane and eats at its flesh. That parasite has one weakness. It dies in the dew that falls from peony petals. So at night the lion sleeps under the peonies, where it is safe.
That is why Japanese painters and potters so often put the lion and the peony together, and why the karajishi-botan, lion and peony, became a favourite pattern on everything from kimono to temple carvings. Shishi stand in pairs at temple gates across Japan, guarding against misfortune, and the cord in the jaws is a common detail of the guardian lion.
The craft
Kutani ware, porcelain from Ishikawa, a tradition known for dense, colourful patterns and a generous use of gold. Here the gold is in the curling mane.
Living with it
A study, an entryway, or anywhere it can face the door. If you are the person everyone leans on, it might be good to keep a lion like this nearby. A gift for a new house or a new office.
• Kutani ware (Kutani porcelain) • An auspicious ornament, a ward against misfortune • Vintage • Made in Japan
How it travels
Packed safely, insured in full
Every piece is packed by hand in Fukuoka inside a sturdy 3 mm corrugated carton, cushioned all round with air pillows so it cannot move. It travels with tracking all the way to your door: by EMS, insured for its full value, on orders of $100 or more, and by tracked airmail below that.
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A question about this piece — size, marks, condition? Ask the house, we answer within a day.