Japanese Benten

Here's the Japanese equivalent of Sarasvati. You can see the Chinese influence on the iconography and painting style.

Dear readers I am bumping older blog posts done before I set up  a cross link with google+. As the widget that does this will not cross post (PRE)scheduled posts please use the Share button so other people can enjoy these posts. This is one of a sequence of 4 posts showing how depictions of Sarasvati changed from India to Japanese and elsewhere. 

AI LOVE 2014 Copyright Julie

Copyright Julie Vaux 2014

Station EKI

Copyright Julie Vaux 2014

This word has 3 variant forms which I have have given in the Kai Ti font

Mystery Horse

Looking up horse words for the  #yearoftheHorse I came across this word along with a brief but strange description but it was some kind of equinid described as a zebra with a red man and golden yellow eyes. A horse marked with a pattern?

The only explanation I can think of is a perhaps some kind of  rare now extinct breed of wild donkey or onager the large variety with stripes perhaps that extended up into its mane?

Every character has a story but this story seems to have been lost?

Anyone know more?