Imagine crafting something so small, you have to slow your heartbeat to work on it. That is exactly how the artist would have created this wheat grain carving.
Gods in the detail
The intricate carving came from a temple complex of over 100 individual Shinto shrines known as the Ise Jingū. It depicts two deities upon a single grain of wheat. The deities are likely representations of Daikokuten and Ebisu, two of the seven Shinto gods of fortune. They often appear together as the deities of bountiful harvests. Both are responsible for providing and protecting food in the home.
It seems to have been made soon after the harvesting period, probably as a souvenir. Victorian commercial designer Christopher Dresser journeyed to Japan in 1876-7. He observed people selling such carvings in a market outside the Kamiji-yama Shinto temple in Ise.
Small worlds, great patience
Measuring 30mm in length and 5 mm in width, the miniscule work of art is an example of micro carving.
This traditional craft dates back more than 2000 years in Asia. It often involves engraving miniature characters onto ivory, grains of rice, wheat or millet and even human hair. The art is sometimes described as ‘carving by one’s will’. This is because the micro sculptor cannot see what they are carving and has to rely on touch.
To say the miniature artist needs steady hands is an understatement. Because the hands are prone to considerable movement, the artist has to learn how to slow their heartbeat. Controlling one’s heart rate safely is extremely difficult. Artisans must practice a system of deep breathing exercises.
A modern tradition
Micro carving continues to be a specialist craft today. In China and Japan, sculptors engrave poems, paintings and seal marks onto grains of ivory.
British sculptor Willard Wigan MBE creates artworks in the eye of a needle. His work includes Henry VIII and his six wives, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and Star Wars characters.
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