Gyokumin - baku-headed mokugyo
Tokyo, circa 1870
A baku-headed mokugyo (gong) in pale wood, the creature’s head and long curling snout turned back over its body to form the handle. Its ears fold flat against its neck and two tufts of curling hair frame one end of the gong’s opening – a device much used by Kokusai. Each side has a cartouche of overlapping reptilian scales. The eyes are inlaid in dark horn.
