Wayfaring monk – okimono

The term “okimono” can be translated from Japanese as “decorative object” or “object to be displayed”. Unlike the netsuke miniatures, which were used as fasteners of obi sashes, okimonos have no practical purpose, but are purely decorative. That is why they were exported more often than netsuke. This statuette of a wayfaring monk was originally deposited in aristocratic collections and was transferred to the National Gallery Prague from the State Chateau in Sychrov. The monk wears characteristic straw sandals, leans against a bamboo cane and has a hollowed gourd flask suspended at his waist.