Bats

 I am reading "The Handbook of Korean Art, Folk Painting" by Yeolsu Yoon. I'm reading the English translation, translated by Wonjun Nam.

I particularly enjoy learning about folk art because it is a peak into the culture. Yoon writes "bats were harbingers of happiness." 

photo borrowed from the Zentner Collection

https://www.zentnercollection.com/items/1251229/Antique-Korean-Chest-Bat-Handles

As bats are nocturnal, Yoon writes that the Koreans believed that the bats were out at night bringing good fortune while the other animals were asleep. It was common to see cashboxes and rice chests with bat handles. 

         

In this description about bats Yoon also mentions the Buddhist Swastika. What is a Buddhist Swastika? Well I don't know, so I Googled it and I came across this article: Buddhist monk raises awareness about the swastika's original meaning. 

Nakagaki is trying to raise awareness about the swastika’s peaceful Sanskrit origins. His new book, The Buddhist Swastika and Hitler’s Cross, is Nakagaki’s way of ending the decades-long prohibition against the symbol. He details the swastika’s Eastern roots and traces its use in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All these uses predate the Nazi’s appropriation of the symbol by centuries.

And also: On the Changing History of the Swastika in South Korea

And an example of how the bat as well as the swastika might look in asian art is listed here: Symbols in Asian Art

So you can fall into the History of the Swastika rabbit hole if you'd like. I'm sticking with, it was appropriated by the Nazi's but has other roots and its own history and that will do for me for now. Personally I want to know about the bats. 

Yoon mentions the swastika in his description of bats as symbols of happiness. Two bats depicted as a pair is a "ssangbok." "The five letters of the Buddhist swastika placed between two bats signified eternal happiness." pg. 17

I have done some light internet searches to find an image with the swastika and the bats and I wasn't able to. If you know of any please comment. I would like to see them.