A few years ago I was in that "almost awake" zone one morning, still dreaming I guess, when I seemed to be standing at the door of a large art gallery, and on a wall ahead of me I saw an enormous string of ceramic beads, hanging on the wall. I could see they were mostly white, with some pastel colors with gold accents....They were way outsized, like 4-5 feet in height, on the wall. I knew I had made them (in my dream)

I felt the dream was a gift, and I made the beads. All ovoid wheel thrown shapes, with spacer beads between the larger ones, also thrown. ..strung on a nylon cord, with a brass clasp from the hardware store . The larger beads are about 5" in length. They are high-fired stoneware. The gold is applied post-firing.

These are four images of an item I bought at a surplus store yesterday. The wooden cylinder is one and a half inches in height, and 5/8" in diameter. There are four "monk" or "Buddha-figures"...two under a tree, and two with a pot shape. And there is a small figure that slides out of the bottom.
I would like to know more about this item.