Wonderful, antique JAPANESE "Onna-Bugeisha,” female warrior doll with glass eyes - $695 - (Sparta, NJ)
?????????Bugeisha? Here is a fabulous and very difficult to find antique, female Japanese warrior, "Onna-Bugeisha,” doll in her elaborate, lined brocade, kimono robe, sash and wide hakama trousers. She wears layers of wonderfully detailed and padded, patterned silks, woven protectors and holds a long curved, sheathed instrument (naginata)* in one hand and her magnificent helmet (which is removable) with long brass spikes and woven sheath in the other hand. Her head is constructed of gofun (a mixture of crushed oyster, clam shells and glue) covered wood with inset brown glass eyes, with unusual red outlines, finely painted eyebrows and frowning mouth with great expression. And she wears an elaborate thick black wig with fancy pointed metal headpiece and inserted floral hair ornaments. Her head can be slightly turned "to ward off enemies or bad spirits" and will make an impressive addition to a doll collection as she is directly acquired from a closed museum display. Her fine details and costume are absolutely amazing. She measures over 12 inches tall and is in excellent condition with no damages or repairs. Doll in last photo is not included and listed separately. Footnotes & historical facts follow: While “samurai” is a strictly masculine term, the Japanese bushi class (the social class samurai came from) did feature women who received similar training in martial arts and strategy. These women were called “Onna-Bugeisha,” and they were known to participate in combat along with their male counterparts. Their weapon of choice was usually the *naginata, a spear with a curved, sword-like blade that was versatile, yet relatively light. Since historical texts offer relatively few accounts of these female warriors (the traditional role of a Japanese noblewoman was more of a homemaker), we used to assume they were just a tiny minority. However, recent research indicates that Japanese women participated in battles quite a lot more often than history books admit.…
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From ebay.com - 1 month ago