Hasuda Shūgorō – 日本铜浮雕牌匾 描绘狛犬（守护狮犬） - 黄铜 - Hasuda Shūgorō - 日本 - Shōwa period (1926-1989)

– Signed work by Hasuda Shūgorō (蓮田修五郎), a Japanese metalworker working in the relief-carved brass (ōdō ukibori) tradition
– Subject: the komainu – the guardian lion-dog placed at the entrance of Japanese Shintō shrines and temples, one of the most beloved of all Japanese protective motifs
– A characterful collector's piece with strong auspicious resonance

Summary: A signed Japanese brass relief plaque by Hasuda Shūgorō, depicting the komainu – the guardian lion-dog of Japanese shrines and temples. Komainu have been one of the most enduring motifs in Japanese protective and decorative imagery for over a thousand years; they appear in stone sculpture at almost every Japanese shrine entrance, in temple guardian roles, and across the full range of Japanese craft media as a quietly auspicious presence. A signed brass relief of a komainu is a characterful and meaningful piece for European collectors of Japanese metalwork and admirers of East Asian guardian iconography.

The komainu motif arrived in Japan from continental Asia during the Heian period, descending ultimately from the lion-guardians of West, Central, and East Asian traditions. In Japanese practice they are most commonly placed in pairs at the entrance of Shintō shrines: one with mouth open (a-gata) and one with mouth closed (un-gata), together pronouncing the first and last sounds of the Sanskrit alphabet and symbolising the totality of beginnings and endings. The function is protective – warding off evil from sacred space – and the auspicious associations carry into domestic display as well.

Hasuda Shūgorō works in the ōdō ukibori (brass relief-carving) tradition. The brass surface is cut, modelled, and finished to produce a raised pictorial design that combines the linear clarity of drawing with the dimensional weight of sculpture. On a subject like the komainu – with its characteristic stylised mane, alert stance, and slightly fierce expression – the technique allows for both confident composition and patient surface detail.

The plaque is a self-contained piece suited to wall hanging or standing display on a desk, shelf, or in a glazed cabinet. Its scale and weight invite it into a study or hallway, where the protective association of the komainu finds a quiet domestic resonance.

In a European interior, a komainu piece pairs naturally with collections of Asian decorative art, with traditional dark-wood furniture, and with restrained contemporary schemes. It also makes a thoughtful gift for the entrance of a new home, a new business, or any threshold that benefits from a small protective presence.

Condition: light age-related surface marks consistent with a brass piece of this character. Careful review is encouraged.

A characterful, auspicious piece of Japanese guardian metalwork.

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