Edo period (18th-19th century), signed Myochin saku (made by Myochin)

Because of the complicated structure of the spiral shell, the hermit crab is very difficult to model. There are some very fine examples of articulated hermit crabs from Edo period, including a hermit crab in the collection of the British Museum, signed by Myochin Munenaga (18th-19th century). The spiral conch shell was a popular design for samurai helmets, because its hard shell represents armor or good protection. A fine hammered iron helmet in spiral shell form is in the collection of the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (fig. 1). The conch shell, hai luo in Chinese, is an important symbol in Buddhism and is one of the Eight Buddhist Emblems, bajixiang. It is seen as a symbol of the extended sound of the transmission of Buddhist teachings, and is particularly associated with Tibetan Buddhism.
For another articulated hermit crab signed by Munenaga in The British Museum, see Harada Kazutoshi, ed., Jizai okimono / Articulated Iron Figures of Animals, Rokusho 11 special edition (2010), pl. 28.