Brush Holder (Fude-Tate)
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Washington, DC, United States
A brush holder, or fude-tate, made from a cylindrical open section of bamboo incised with two turtles, a symbol of good luck, and the Japanese character meaning furo, or eternal youth. The cup is set on an octagonal wooden base. This brush holder was collected by Commodore Matthew C. Perry during his historic Japan Expedition (1853-1854) that opened Japan to the western world and established a lasting diplomatic, economic and cultural relationship between two Pacific Rim nations. Artifacts from Perry's Japan Expedition would become some of the founding objects of the Smithsonian Institution's anthropology collections.
See Chang-Su Houchins. 1995. Artifacts of Diplomacy: Smithsonian Collections from Commodore Matthew Perry's Japan Expedition (1853-1854). Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology, Number 37. P 98
Details
- Title: Brush Holder (Fude-Tate)
- Location: Japan, Asia
- Physical Dimensions: L: 14.5cm D: 9.5cm
- Type: Brush Holder
- Rights: This image was obtained from the Smithsonian Institution. The image or its contents may be protected by international copyright laws. http://www.si.edu/termsofuse
- External Link: View this object record in the Smithsonian Institution Collections Search Center
- USNM Catalog Number(s): E166-0
- Photo Credit: Donald E. Hurlbert, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History
- Field: Ethnology
- Accession Date: 1859-03-09
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