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Life-size statues of sumo wrestlers, made by Yasumuto Kamehachi in 1890. Wood with pigment, glass eyes, human hair and textile. Meiji period, now on display at the Contemporary Art Museum in Kumamoto city, Japan

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Life-size statues of sumo wrestlers, made by Yasumuto Kamehachi in 1890. Wood with pigment, glass eyes, human hair and textile. Meiji period, now on display at the Contemporary Art Museum in Kumamoto city, Japan

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Standing statue of Bhaiṣajyaguru, or Yakushi Nyorai , Nara; 9th century, Heian Period, National Treasure, now on temporary display at the Nara National Museum's Buddhist Sculpture Hall since May 2026

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Standing statue of Bhaiṣajyaguru, or Yakushi Nyorai , Nara; 9th century, Heian Period, National Treasure, now on temporary display at the Nara National Museum's Buddhist Sculpture Hall since May 2026

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A late 19th century CE netsuke of a meditating skeleton, made of silver set in stag antler. Meiji period, from Japan, now housed at the British Museum

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A late 19th century CE netsuke of a meditating skeleton, made of silver set in stag antler. Meiji period, from Japan, now housed at the British Museum

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Netsuke in the form of a monkey holding a peach, made by Yamaguchi Okatomo, Kyoto, Japan, mid 18th c. Ivory and ink. Walters Art Museum collection

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Netsuke in the form of a monkey holding a peach, made by Yamaguchi Okatomo, Kyoto, Japan, mid 18th c. Ivory and ink. Walters Art Museum collection

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The head of a life-sized lifelike doll made by the puppeteer Matsumoto Kisaburo in 1871, for his spectacle "the Miracles of Kannon at the 33 Temples of the Saikoku Pilgrimage Route". Now housed at the Osaka Museum of History in Japan

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The head of a life-sized lifelike doll made by the puppeteer Matsumoto Kisaburo in 1871, for his spectacle "the Miracles of Kannon at the 33 Temples of the Saikoku Pilgrimage Route". Now housed at the Osaka Museum of History in Japan

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A 19th century CE Tashkent Suzani from Uzbekistan. Made of silk and cotton, now housed at the George Washington University Museum and Textile Museum in Washington, D.C.

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A 19th century CE Tashkent Suzani from Uzbekistan. Made of silk and cotton, now housed at the George Washington University Museum and Textile Museum in Washington, D.C.

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A 19th century Japanese netsuke depicting a Kappa mask. Stag antler with hide, inlays. Now housed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

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A 19th century Japanese netsuke depicting a Kappa mask. Stag antler with hide, inlays. Now housed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

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A kabuki robe from Japan, with design of tortoise, crane, and pines. 1850–1868 CE, made of wool, silk, cotton, gold-wrapped thread, and metals. Now housed at the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts

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A kabuki robe from Japan, with design of tortoise, crane, and pines. 1850–1868 CE, made of wool, silk, cotton, gold-wrapped thread, and metals. Now housed at the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts

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This net is made of mostly knotted human hair with yucca fiber cordage and was used by a Hohokam community to corral and hunt jackrabbits. Discovered in 1962, it is from a cave in the Altar Valley, southwest of Tucson, and dates from 1250-1450 CE. Now housed at the Arizona State Museum

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This net is made of mostly knotted human hair with yucca fiber cordage and was used by a Hohokam community to corral and hunt jackrabbits. Discovered in 1962, it is from a cave in the Altar Valley, southwest of Tucson, and dates from 1250-1450 CE. Now housed at the Arizona State Museum

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A medicine chest with herb design, made by Iizuka Toyo in 1771 CE. Maki-e lacquer on wood, now housed at the Nezu Museum in Japan

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A medicine chest with herb design, made by Iizuka Toyo in 1771 CE. Maki-e lacquer on wood, now housed at the Nezu Museum in Japan

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A 19th century CE Japanese netsuke made of ebony with inlays, depicting an owl attacking a bat. Now housed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

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A 19th century CE Japanese netsuke made of ebony with inlays, depicting an owl attacking a bat. Now housed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

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A silver disc with spirals, made by the Moche civilization in Peru. Now housed at the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru

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A silver disc with spirals, made by the Moche civilization in Peru. Now housed at the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru

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The Pueblo Bonito Frog carved from black jet and inlaid with turquoise eyes and collar. The frog, made by Ancestral Puebloan artisans, was found in Pueblo Bonito in New Mexico. 850–1140 CE, now housed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City

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The Pueblo Bonito Frog carved from black jet and inlaid with turquoise eyes and collar. The frog, made by Ancestral Puebloan artisans, was found in Pueblo Bonito in New Mexico. 850–1140 CE, now housed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City

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A Muromachi Period embroidered painting of the Buddha with human hair woven into it, produced in Japan. These pieces were typically produced by women devotees, and documented examples have been noted to have human hair woven into the Buddha's vestments or hair

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A Muromachi Period embroidered painting of the Buddha with human hair woven into it, produced in Japan. These pieces were typically produced by women devotees, and documented examples have been noted to have human hair woven into the Buddha's vestments or hair

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Garments of a conquistador, found in Peru, and made of wool, cotton, linen and camelid fibers. 1560-1580 CE, now housed at the Bayerisches Armeemuseum in Germany

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Garments of a conquistador, found in Peru, and made of wool, cotton, linen and camelid fibers. 1560-1580 CE, now housed at the Bayerisches Armeemuseum in Germany

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An English translation of Kachi-Kachi Yama, a gruesome fairy tale. Story in comments. Japan, Meiji period, 1885

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An English translation of Kachi-Kachi Yama, a gruesome fairy tale. Story in comments. Japan, Meiji period, 1885

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This 1000-year-old manuscript was created by about 16 scribes in a Benedictine abbey in Trier, Germany. They used gold ink to copy the text of the Gospels onto parchment that had been dyed with a plant-based purple pigment. Now housed at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York

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This 1000-year-old manuscript was created by about 16 scribes in a Benedictine abbey in Trier, Germany. They used gold ink to copy the text of the Gospels onto parchment that had been dyed with a plant-based purple pigment. Now housed at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York

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"Panorama of the city of Celaya in Guanajuato" carved in fig pith on silk and gouache, and mounted on cardboard. Measuring 60.5 cm high by 78.8 cm wide, and 92 cm high by 105.5 cm wide with frame, the work is dated to 1883 CE and is now housed at the Soumaya Museum in Mexico City

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"Panorama of the city of Celaya in Guanajuato" carved in fig pith on silk and gouache, and mounted on cardboard. Measuring 60.5 cm high by 78.8 cm wide, and 92 cm high by 105.5 cm wide with frame, the work is dated to 1883 CE and is now housed at the Soumaya Museum in Mexico City

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A Chancay manta from Peru, made of cotton/wool textile, 1000-1476 CE, now housed at the Arizona State Museum. The manta is rich red in color with polychrome feline motifs , and was used possibly as a blanket, wrap-around skirt, or wall hanging

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A Chancay manta from Peru, made of cotton/wool textile, 1000-1476 CE, now housed at the Arizona State Museum. The manta is rich red in color with polychrome feline motifs , and was used possibly as a blanket, wrap-around skirt, or wall hanging

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This two-part Maya vessel is made of slip-painted ceramic and features the form of what appears to be an armadillo with a human-like face. From Petén in Guatemala, 300-600 CE, now housed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

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This two-part Maya vessel is made of slip-painted ceramic and features the form of what appears to be an armadillo with a human-like face. From Petén in Guatemala, 300-600 CE, now housed at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

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