Wooden Fish Block

Wooden Fish Block

Instrument

A wooden fish, also known as a Chinese temple block is a wooden percussion instrument most commonly associated with Mahayana Buddhism. The purpose of the instrument is to help Buddhist, usually, in China, Japan, and Korea, recite sutras by keeping a steady, calming rhythm. Most wooden fish are typically round in shape and hollow on the inside to provide a striking echoed sound. The instrument is carved into a fish due to Buddhist legend as well as the fish symbolizing wakefulness. 

Check out the High Library for more information. 

Check out sacred texts that relate to the artifact. 


Sources:
James Blades, Percussion Instruments and Their History (Westport, CT: Bold Strummer, 2005).

20th Century

Elizabethtown College (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA)

Dr. William V. Puffenberger

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A wooden hollowed frog with detailed engravings and a wooden mallet.

Physical Object

Puffenberger #121

Japan