Cats and dogs have been domesticated by us only recently, while turtles have welcomed us on this planet...

What fascinates us about turtles ? I guess, in a way they have a lot of what we are longing for, like longevity for example. Turtles look so laid back sitting on the logs in the sunshine, minding their own business, looking at the world and at all what's hapening around them with the wisdom of someone who have seen more than just this... And they almost have seen it all...

Kame Suiteki   This is a suiteki - a 250 years old water dispenser used in Japanese brush painting. It is made from bronze and is one of my favorite treasures. Past years in Japan translate into periods, and this one makes it Edo-jidai, meaning Edo Period. (Edo is the old name for Tokyo)

It has been cast from bronze and polished afterwards. It has a small opening for water intake at the top. The artist pours the water into the 'suzuri' (ink stone) by tipping it - the drops of water come out of the turtles mouth.   This is not an ordinary turtle - see it's features. It has ears and it resembles the known form of a Chinese dragon. It is one of the four mistical figures in the Far East: the dragon, the tiger, the crane and the turtle - symbols of the four geographical directions.