Type of animal

[kissakai]

Hi

What is the general thought to this type of animal

 

[Baka Gaijin]

Perhaps a Sheep?

 

Hitsuji 羊 

[Brian]

Ox

[Shugyosha]

Five-legged sheep? 😉

 

[SalaMarcos]

seems a yagi or goat

[Rich S]

Not five legged,just a male.    Rich

[MauroP]

recumbent water buffalo

[kissakai]

Thanks for the feedback

I though, sheep, goat or ram

The short horns seemed to rule out an ox/buffalo

The whole tsuba may suggest a theme that may help

 

[Spartancrest]

I think it is a goat, the horns are short not like an Ox, this guard has a similar layout : The resolution is not great but it is an old file.

 

There is also a native Japanese goat/antelope the Serow. Both sexes have short, backward-curving horns.

[Bugyotsuji]

Not a goat's tail, though.

[vajo]

Ox. Look at the widerrist (dont know the englisch wprd). Its not a goat and not a sheep. Die fith leg is that thing to make small ox'es 😂

[Spartancrest]

Anyone got a tail docker? 😉

What is this fifth leg business? Anyone can see it has two long legs on one side and two short ones on the other - obviously lives on the side of a steep mountain and can't therefore walk anti clockwise or it would fall down the mountain.🤪

PS you will note the long tails of the Sidehill Gouger and Dahu 

http://mythologicalbeastiesandco.blogspot.com/2010/09/sidehill-gouger.html

[Shugyosha]

The fifth leg provides an additional anchor point on steep slopes and was used for ploughing fields in pre-industrial societies.🤪

[Brian]

Really don't know where you get this 5th leg thing. I see 3 legs and a tail.

[Shugyosha]

It's the shorter of the legs. I assumed that front and back legs were side by side...unless of course it's got a tripod thing going on.

[vajo]

Yes it is the third leg. The fourth leg is behind the head.

Its an Ox for me.

 

Widerrist = Withers (english)

 

 

[johnnyi]

Agree with Dale, a ram or goat beneath possibly a pomegranate tree (Japanese symbolism)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

johnnyi

[kissakai]

I was hoping to find a tie up with a general theme so I'll have a look at goat/pomegranate

 

[vajo]

😂

I don't why the conclusion is goat.

 

If that is a goat on the tsuba it was a very bad artist.

 

 

That animal on the tsuba shows an Japanese Ox - I'm 100% sure.

But ok. Everybody should think what he wanted to see.

[Markus]

This motif is referred to as "oxen released to the peach orchard" (桃林放牛図) or "returning horses, releasing oxen" (帰馬放牛).

 

It goes back to the legend when King Wu of Zhou defeated the Yin, he returned the war horses to the place they were taken from and released the oxen, who had carried war material, to the peach orchard. That way, he was demonstrating the population that the war was over, for good, as horses and oxen for war would never be needed again.

 

 

[vajo]

Thanks Markus. I thought i have something with my eyes.. 😂

[Spartancrest]

I agree with Chris Sch - a bad artist.  Or at least a confusing one.😬 Sure has got a lot of speculation going - never a bad thing.

[johnnyi]

Yes, an ox and bad artist  😬