I always thought they were meant to resemble dragons or goldfish but, yeah, never that clear what they were.

D

Yeah...dragons was another one I've heard....I can't see them, though. Goldfish? Hmmmm...I can KINDA see that...mmmmaybe. The gold parts have what could be construed as scales on a fish...and the black parts are kinda swirling around the way some goldfish tails do...so, yeah, I could KIND of imagine goldfish.

But, the red parts are carved into a certain shape that I cannot understand. Would it be like a goldfish bowl, perhaps? If so, then its a very weird shaped goldfish bowl...and, if it is in fact goldfish in a goldfish bowl, then what is the significance of that -symbolically-speaking? What is the relation between goldfish and temple blocks?

BTW...why do they call them "temple" blocks, anyway? Do they have origins in some kind of religious worship?

Thanks

Yep, they were originally used in Buddhist temples in China and Japan (or something that looks pretty similar).

D

I dug around some early Leedy catalogs and they are listed as Korean Temple Blocks. Interesting to "note" is that they mention that they arrive in an unfinished condition and the Leedy crafstman pitch match them, and finish them in the colors you see red, black and gold.

Still trying to figure out what they are..., but based on temple drawings they are more then likely an abstract similar to how they painted back then.

David

The general shape is simply to produce the tone required; wood blocks of this shape are still made today but without the dragon decorations. The part that is decorated is the mounting area and is decorated to scare away evil spirits, like the springy interior wire and decorated skins of the Chinese toms. The whole thing looks like 2 Dragons hatching from a shell and for the sake of symmetry clasping a pearl in their mouths.

Thanks, del. I guess I can start to kind of "see" that in the picture if I use my imagination...but these temple block "dragons" are so ambiguous-looking and I always thought the Chinese wood carvers were sticklers about accuracy. I have never seen any temple block carvings that look instantly-identifiable as dragons. I wonder if there are some examples of REALLY nice ones where the carvings are completely detailed(?)

That picture is the first blue one I have ever seen. Usually, they are red, black and gold.

Chinese art varied quite a bit, I have a friend who collects jade scepters,(Dr’s. have too much money any one of those are a few black beauties in price) the sort of thing the best carvers would have been employed on and they can be almost abstract. I have enclosed a pic of a jade Pu or heavenly circle and the style is almost art nouveau, and drums were more of a craftsmen item. Chinese toms almost always depict a dragon on one side and a magic bird on the other, often the bird has only one leg “Shang Yang” and these are rather crudely depicted. The Temple Blocks appeared to have evolved from slit drums over a large area, Korea, Japan and China. And over hundreds of years I have posted more pics, one of the earliest ancestor a fish shaped slit drum, another of a fish curved into the familiar shape and the latest type a red, black and gold block,a totally abstract style from the 1940’s.. These are from an encyclopedia that chose to use an illustrator rather than trying to obtain copyrights for photos.

Wow! that's great info! Thanks, del!!Yes Sir