The painting on the paper of this fan depicts a wooden fish drum. One of the 'four objects' used for a Buddhist service (the other three objects are a temple bell, a 'drum of the law,' and a 'loud chime'), this mogeo, or 'wooden fish drum,' is played by striking the inner walls of the cavity of a fish-shaped drum with two wooden sticks. In Buddhism, fish are a symbol of virya, or the life devoted to the Buddhist law, because fish never close their eyes, even at night. Not all fish drums have the same form: some have a dragon's head with a treasure ball in its mouth, representing the old symbolism that fish become dragons when they are liberated from suffering. The drum is also the origin of the wooden gong, the most basic instrument for any Buddhist service. Read More

Size: 7.9"W x 13.4"H (20 x 34cm)