Fine Japanese Edo (mid-19thC) Buddhist ‘lingzhi’ nyoi (ruyi in Chinese) or ceremonial sceptre, with a traditional long handle and a head fashioned like a fist, cloud, or lingzhi mushroom. It has been worked into a root, its shape reminiscent of the lingzhi (or reishi), a fungus or dark mushroom that grows on trees in East Asia. Ca 38.5cm long x 9.5cm x 6cm, weight ca 105g.Excellent original condition with traces of an old repair.Nyoi/ruyi are constructed from diverse materials, for example the Palace Museum in Beijing has nearly 3,000 ruyi variously made of gold, silver, iron, bamboo, wood, ivory, coral, rhinoceros horn, lacquer, crystal, jade and precious gems. The Lingzhi fungus has been used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine for centuries to promote health and longevity. It''s also known as the ‘mushroom of immortality’ and is believed to treat the heart, reduce stress and inflammation, and bring good luck. It’s extremely rare in its natural form, with only two or...