An iron articulated sculpture of a mythical beast (shachi) Edo period (18th-19th century) The russet-iron mythical beast with tiger head and fish body finely constructed of numerous hammered plates jointed inside the body; the mouth opens, the tongue moves, the fins open and spread and the body bends, the head applied with elaborate horns and spines and the eyes of shakudo embellished with gilt 20 ? in. (52.1 cm.) long
An iron articulated sculpture of a mythical beast (shachi) Edo period (18th-19th century) The russet-iron mythical beast with tiger head and fish body finely constructed of numerous hammered plates jointed inside the body; the mouth opens, the tongue moves, the fins open and spread and the body bends, the head applied with elaborate horns and spines and the eyes of shakudo embellished with gilt 20 ? in. (52.1 cm.) long