PLACE REPRESENTED: Okinawa , Japan

ITEM: Ornament

NOTES: Okinawa, though part of Japan, is an island, part of the Ryukyu Islands ( a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu Island in Japan to Taiwan. The island is so distinct that it has an identity all its own (it’s been part of Japan for 142 years). In a bottle with sand and tree are a pair of traditional Ryukyuan cultural Shisa gargoyle beasts (that are a cross between a lion and a dog). Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some evils. Shisa are placed everywhere with the left Shisa traditionally having a closed mouth (to keep good spirits in) and the right one an open mouth (to ward off evil spirits). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shisa

YEAR (APPROXIMATE): 1980s

MADE FROM: glass , wood.

MADE IN: unknown

MANUFACTURER: unknown

DIMENSIONS: 15cm long x 8cm high