Japanese Onigawara Oni Figurine Okimono Tabletop Ornament, Kawara Ceramic

Sold by an authorized seller from Japan's kawara industry — and a craftsman myself.

Onigawara are the ornamental ridge-end pieces placed on the roofs of Japanese temples, castles and traditional houses. They belong to a long protective tradition in Japanese architecture, in which a fierce guardian face was set high above the household to look out over those beneath it.

The oni is traditionally regarded as a talisman, believed to ward off evil and misfortune and to watch over the home and its family. This is a matter of custom and belief, and it is in that spirit that such figures have long been admired and kept.

This okimono figurine presents a commanding oni face in the traditional onigawara style. Two sweeping horns rise above heavy, deeply furrowed brows. The wide, round eyes are set beneath them, and the broad nose leads down to a snarling mouth with bared teeth and curved fangs. Tufted mane details gather at the lower corners, and a border of evenly spaced studs frames the face on either side. The surface is a subdued, silvery charcoal grey with a soft metallic sheen. Colour may vary slightly with lighting and screen settings.

It is a Japanese traditional craft form, made in Japan of kawara, the traditional Japanese fired clay (ceramic). Compact and composed, it suits display on a shelf, desk or tabletop, and sits well with other Japanese objects or in a quiet corner of the home.

• Type: Onigawara-style oni okimono figurine
• Material: Ceramic (kawara, traditional Japanese fired clay)
• Origin: Japan
• Dimensions: length 3 cm, width 10.5 cm, height 9 cm
• Weight: 380 g (0.38 kg)
• Quantity: 1

About the seller: I am a craftsman in the kawara (Japanese traditional ceramics) trade myself. We are an authorized seller launched by like-minded companies within Japan's kawara industry, and we handle a wide range of kawara and onigawara from across the country. Every item is carefully inspected and packed in Japan and shipped directly to you.