Kozuka with the Chinese Immortal Gama
(Japanese Military Armor)
The man shown leaning on his walking stick is the Chinese immortal Gama. At the bottom is a three-legged frog. Gama's spirit was able to leave his body to wander and once returned to find the body unfit to re-inhabit. He put his spirit into the nearest creature, which was a frog. This kozuka still has its blade, which is signed.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
William T. / Henry Walters Collection, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Geographies
Japan, Osaka (Place of Origin)
Measurements
L: 8 1/8 in. (20.7 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by William T. or Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
51.897