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Mokugyo (木魚)

ca. 1800–1889
Not on view
Small hand-held mokugyos (slit drums), and large ones resting on cushions, are used to accompany chants (sutras) in Taoist and Buddhist ceremonies. Some possess handles and are in the form stylized fish, which hold in their mouths a ball, symbol of the universe. Having no eyelids, the fish symbolizes wakeful attention and vigilance in devotion. This less abstracted version is meant to be suspended.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Mokugyo (木魚)
  • Date: ca. 1800–1889
  • Geography: Japan
  • Culture: Japanese
  • Medium: Wood
  • Dimensions: Mokugyo: 24 × 8 in. (61 × 20.3 cm); Beater: 19 in. (48.3 cm)
  • Classification: Idiophone-Struck-slit drum
  • Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
  • Object Number: 89.4.1711
  • Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments

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