Ethnic Cultures of Asia: Religious Carvings of Melanesia
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Crocodile, Second half of 19th–early 20th century (Gift of Mr. Fujikawa Seijiro)
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 13
November 13, 2018 (Tue) - February 3, 2019 (Sun)The South Pacific is located directly south of the Japanese archipelago, and includes tens of thousands of islands, large and small, including Hawaii and New Guinea. Around 4,000 years ago, people of Asian origin crossed the waters and dispersed across this region, where they developed their unique cultures and faiths.
In Melanesia, a southwestern region of the South Pacific, ancestral spirits and other spirits were revered, and idols representing them were eagerly created. This exhibition showcases carvings such as a crocodile sculpture and masks representing these spirits.
includes:
Male Funerary Figure (Kulap), Second half of 19th century (Gift of Mr. Yoshijima Tokiyasu)
Female Funerary Figure (Kulap), Second half of 19th century (Gift of Mr. Yoshijima Tokiyasu)
Crocodile, Second half of 19th–early 20th century (Gift of Mr. Fujikawa Seijiro)