K009 - Tora 虎

This Fuchi/Kahira is a beautiful Tiger (Tora 虎) gold-plated.

• Material: Brass, Copper gold on Ibushi gold finish
• Fuchi (縁) Dimensions: 40 mm long, 23 mm wide, 10.5 mm high
• Kashira (頭) Dimensions: 35.5 mm long, 18 mm wide, 09 mm high

The tiger is a feared and revered animal in Japan, representing protection, power, courage and ferocity. It has the ability to ward off evil spirits, diseases and bad luck. It is therefore often associated with the military and samurai/bushi. It was even the nickname of a great warlord from the Sengoku period, Takeda Shingen, nicknamed 'The Tiger of Kai'.
There is no tiger in Japan. The old representations are always very strange because the artists drew them mainly based on descriptions. Some of them could be seen during trips to China, Korea and Siberia
In the beliefs, the tiger is one of the guardians of the 4 Orients with the Dragon (East/water), the Phoenix (South/fire), the turtle (North/earth). The celestial tiger, called Byakko 白 虎, is the guardian of the West and represents metal. As the kanji indicates, it is represented in the form of a white tiger, color that he acquired after living 500 years.
The dragon and tiger are often depicted together in painting, representing the protectors of East and West, the Ying and the Yang.