MEIJI-TAISHO PERIOD, EARLY 20TH CENTURY

Elephants, though not native to Japan, were objects of great curiosity and were depicted in a variety of Japanese art from the Edo to Meiji period.
The white elephant is revered in Buddhism as a symbol of strength and high morality. The six-tusk white elephants in particular represent the vehicle of the Bodhisattva Puxian (Samantabhadra) and are associated with the birth of the Buddha Shakyamuni.