Japanese Superstitions
* If a funeral hearse drives past, you must hide your thumb in a fist. This is because the Japanese word for thumb literally translates as “parent-finger” and hiding it is considered protection for your parent. If you don’t, your parent will die.
* If you rest just after eating, you will become a cow/pig/elephant.
* The first dream of a new year will come true.
* You should never write a person’s name in red ink.
artemisdreaming:
Netsuke: Autumn grasses with praying mantis, 18th century
Attributed to Ryûsa
Japanese
Carved ivory
H. 7/8 in. (2.2 cm), Diam. 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm)
Gift of Mrs. Russell Sage, 1910 (10.211.1271)
The openwork, lacelike effect of this netsuke is named after Ryûsa, the carver credited with inventing this technique. The piece, carved on a lathe, is hollowed out. The dark, shadowy interior contrasts with the lighter surfaces of ivory, carved in high relief, and the stippled surface that here appears as mist, creating a sense of recessive space within the confines of this netsuke’s two-inch diameter. metmuseum
