A JAPANESE BRONZE HIBACHI (HANDWARMER)

A JAPANESE BRONZE HIBACHI (HANDWARMER)
MEIJI ERA, 19TH/20TH CENTURY

Of tall waisted shape, decorated in relief with an unusual scene set in Buddhist Hell, with the horse and ox-headed demons Mezu and Gozu overseeing the infernal landscape, a stream meandering beside them amongst jagged rocks and scrolling mist; the reverse with a man carrying a large stele of the Buddhist Triad over his back; unsigned, 25.3cm.

In Buddhism Mezu and Gozu are the demons who greet you at the gates of Hell and are the chief torturers responsible for chasing down those who manage to escape.