Shitoki Medallion
Ainu people, Hokkaido, Japan
Wood
19th century
4 inches in diameter (10 cm)

A very rare carved wood shitoki, the central medallion in some Ainu beaded necklaces (tamasay). These were most often fabricated of metal and made either in China or mainland Japan, but this is an early indigenous example from a very remote area of Hokkaido. The carving on the surface may represent a primitive calendar of some type, with two of the square cells marked with incised triangular shapes separated by a central diagonal bar.

Women wore these necklaces for special ceremonial occasions and passed them down from one generation to the next as treasured heirlooms. They were designed to protect the wearer from evil and ill health.
#3840

$1200