Japanese Damru Tambourine From The Late 19th Century.

This Japanese Damru tambourine represents the Buddhist ritual art of the Meiji period. Used in spiritual practices and tantric ceremonies, the Damaru symbolizes the union of polarities and primordial vibration. This ancient example has a double skin, held on the red wood piece by upholsterer's nails. On either side, a small piece of metal suspended by a cotton thread strikes the skin on each side when the instrument is rotated, producing a rapid and sonorous rhythm. This instrument was probably used by a monk or a master of ceremonies in a Japanese Buddhist temple. A collector's item, this Damaru will naturally find its place in a collection of Asian sacred art, in a meditation space or in the home of a sound ethnography enthusiast.