This object is an incense burner. Where does the smoke come out? Through the wings. The body comes apart, incense is placed inside, and the smoke rises from the praying mantis’s back.
Artwork Details: Japan, Meiji period (1868-1912). Iron, gold, silver lining. H. 8.9 cm; L. 15.2 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Accession no. 36.120.669a, b.
This piece is the product of a tradition called Jizai Okimono. In Japanese, ‘jizai’ means 'moving at will.’ The legs, head, and front limbs can actually be posed.
According to Tokyo National Museum records, the earliest known example of these articulated iron figures is a dragon signed by Myochin Muneaki, dated 1713 (take a look at the second image I’ve shared).
The Myochins were a centuries-old dynasty of samurai armorers. Their shift from crafting military gear to moving animal figures actually began when the demand for armor dropped during the long years of peace in the Edo period. When carrying swords was completely banned at the start of the Meiji period, these master craftsmen dedicated their skills entirely to making export pieces for the Western market just to survive. The praying mantis is a product of this historical transition.
In Japanese culture, the praying mantis is considered the samurai’s equivalent in the insect world; it both protects and destroys. This motif, crafted into samurai sword guards (or tsuba) for centuries, found its way onto incense burners during the Meiji period.
This incense burner reached The Metropolitan Museum of Art through a 1936 donation by collector and attorney Howard Mansfield.
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