Volume 39 No. 3 Fall 2019 International Netsuke Society Journal · images of various paintings by them and of carvings at temples and shrines. One fascinating example was “heavy

International Netsuke Society

Journal

Volume 39 No. 3 Fall 2019

Large perfect rock crystal sphere supported by a silver, bronze,

and gold wave crest Yukihiro for the Kinshodo studio of Kyoto

Length: 13.3 in (33.8 cm) Height: 11 in (28 cm)

Japan, Meiji period

Tel: 212.772-7705 NEW YORK CITY By appointmentwww.orientationsgallery.com e-mail: [email protected] Member of Art and Antique Dealers League of America, Inc. * CINOA

Tides of Fortune...This dynamic composition of cresting waves conjures ancient visions with its fascinating imagery. Formed of precious metals, the wave supports a gleaming orb that represents the tama, tide-ruling jewel of Buddhism. This magical talisman is coveted by Ryujin, the Dragon King of the Sea. A wonderful and valuable specimen in itself, the “jewel” here is composed of flawless rock crystal. Beautifully cast bronze has been hand-worked forming the naturalistic ishime stone texture of the rocky shore. The artist has fashioned heavy pure silver that contours perfectly to the rockwork. Gold inlaid spume glistens overall, adding a sumptuous touch. This achievement by Yukihiro of Kyoto represents the finest in Meiji metalwork.

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Lost or damaged Journal? Contact MEMBERSHIPS (see above).

International Netsuke Society JournalVolume 39, Number 3

Fall 2019

Cover:

Two monkey-like kappa picking fleas off each other.

Signed Ikkosai.

(see page 32)

International Netsuke Societywww.netsuke.org

INQUIRIES AND PAYMENTS

P.O. Box 223218

Hollywood, FL 33022 USA

PRESIDENT

Marsha Vargas Handley

2164 Hyde St., #509

San Francisco, CA 94109

Tel: (415) 307-7292

Email: [email protected]

EDITOR

Linda Meredith

Cell: (360)734-7319

E-mail: [email protected]

MEMBERSHIPS

Aisha Buntin

E-mail: [email protected]

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Marsha Vargas Handley, President

Rosemary Bandini

Alan Fisher, M.D.

John D. Hawley, Finance

Jay E. Hopkins, M.D.

Makiko Komada

Guy de Lasteyrie

Gopi Nayar, M. D.

Richard Silverman

David S. White, Esq.

--------

Joseph Kurstin, M. D., Emeritus

Contents2 President’s Letter

2 Correction

3 Paris 2019 Convention Bulletin

4 Chapters

6 Daily Life Scenes in Netsuke as Influenced by Genre Paintings, Illustrated Book Images, and Woodblock Prints of the Edo Period Yahiro Tatiana

20 Combien de Ikkosai, Part II Giovanni Rimondi and Lukas Zacke

37 On the Continent Max Rutherston

42 Auctions Ed McNiff

44 Some Less Well-Known Ants and Snails by Jikan Mebun 自侃眼文 , ca. 1820–1860: Genuine or Copies? Else and Heinz Kress

51 Membership Form

52 Back Issues

52 Index of Advertisers

2 INTERNATIONAL NETSUKE SOCIETY JOURNAL Volume 39, Number 3

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As you receive this issue of our Journal, the Paris Convention will be less than a month away. For those of you who have registered and will be in Paris in October, I look forward to seeing you. Rosemary Bandini has done an exceptional job of arranging the program with a wide range of subjects.

We will open the convention with a reception on Thursday evening, 24 October, and the opening of the dealer exhibition room for those who have registered for the convention. The following morning the lectures will begin with a talk by Leonore de Magnee on the netsuke collection at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, followed by Oli Moss on Toyomasa, workshops, lunch, and the dealer exhibitions. See our website for the full program and consider coming either for the full convention or even a day for those of you who are close to Paris.

The exhibition of netsuke from local collectors that has been arranged by Jean-Yves Boutaudou and Gerard Schmitt, Association Franco Japonaise, will be open from 22–30 October, just across from the Westin Paris-Vendome, in the Bonhams offices on the Place Vendome. A catalogue of the exhibition will be available for those who are unable to make it to Paris.

Again, as our Board of Directors will be meeting in Paris, I welcome any suggestions or comments you may have to improve the Society.

To our members who are unable to join us in Paris, I hope you will enjoy this issue of the Journal, and we will report in the next journal on the convention events. •

Marsha Vargas [email protected]

President’s LetterPAST PRESIDENTS

David S. White, 2015-2017Marsha Vargas Handley, 2009-2015

Joseph Kurstin, M.D. 2005-2009John D. Hawley, 1999-2005

Jay E. Hopkins, M. D., 1993-1999Virginia G. Atchley, 1991-1993Robert O. Kinsey, 1987-1991

James Hume, 1981-1987Victor E. Israel, 1979-1981

Sharen T. Chappell, 1977-1979George D. Colom, M. D.,

Acting President, 1977Harold L. Meyers, 1975-1976

Copyright © 2019International Netsuke Society

ISSN 073-8087The International Netsuke Society is a non-profit organization. The

purpose of the Society, as stated by its By-Laws, is the study of netsuke and their related appurtenances, the artists

who created them, and the society from which they evolved. Such study is accomplished through conventions, exhibits, lectures, workshops, and the

dissemination of written materials, photographs, and the International Netsuke Society Journal, published

four times a year.

The opinions expressed by the contributors and advertisers in this

publication are theirs alone and do not necessarily represent the Officers, Board of Directors, the

Editorial Board, or the Editor of the International Netsuke Society

and its Journal.

__________

Copy editor: Patricia J. McConnell

Produced by CA Design14/F, China Hong Kong Tower

8-12 Hennessy Road Wanchai

Hong KongTel: (852) 2865 6787Fax: (852) 2866 3429http://www.cadesign.hk

PRINTED IN HONG KONG

Correction

The front cover of the last INS Journal incorrectly reads Volume 39 No. 2 Spring 2019

It should read Volume 39 No. 2 Summer 2019

Linda Meredith, Editor


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International Netsuke Society Convention

Paris

24–28 October 2019

Lectures and Workshops

Provenance: reconstructing the Past

Miriam Cockx and Adrian Heindrichs

netsuke in the Musée des art décoratifs Paris

Léonore de Magnée

uMa and eMa: horses through JaPanese art

Alain Ducros

Patina

Clive Hallam

ryushi’s carving and an echo of Mitsuhiro’s techniques

Komada Makiko

Minko

Chip Lutton

toyoMasa

Oli Moss

Mise en LuMière: netsuke through a PhotograPher’s eye

Jean-Marie Colrat

goudLeer or kinkarakawa: history, Manufacture, and use of giLt Leather in JaPan

Doug Sanders

Mask netsuke Pierre Jacquesson

oJiMe

Andy Jordan

Workshop (subject tba)Alain Ducros

a kiseruzutsu Presentation

Prepared by Milton Stratos

netsuke surgery

Two separate sessions hosted byNeil Davey and Robert Fleischel & Yukari Yoshida. An opportunity to discuss signatures, schools, materials and subject matter of those netsuke puzzles.

For Daily Schedule and to Register www.netsuke.org


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EUROPERosemary Bandini, ChairmanPO Box 2281Woodford GreenIG7 5YPTel: +44 7968 [email protected]

LOS ANGELESSusan RomaineCell: (310) [email protected]

MELBOURNEEva Sweet, Chairman17 Tara Ave., Kew 3101Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaTel/Fax: 61.3.9853.9786sjeremy@ bigpond.net.au

MOSCOWCommonwealth ofIndependent States1st Dubrovskaya St, 13A, Build. 1Moscow, 109044, RussiaTel: 79 16 65 64 167 38 06 39 71 5505

NEW ENGLANDEd McNiff, Chairman108 Central St.Byfield, MA 01922Tel: (978) [email protected]

NEW YORKJeffrey Klotz, ChairmanP.O. Box 324Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442Tel: (973) [email protected]

SAN FRANCISCOSteve Koppich, Chairman2 Ross Rd.Alameda, CA 94502Tel: (510) [email protected]

SEATTLERichard Hieronymus, Chairman167 Kilsburrow Rd.Friday Harbor, WA 98250-8866Tel: (360) [email protected]

TOKYORobert A. Fleischel, Chairmanc/o Yabane KKYotsuya 4-28-20-1002Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan 160Tel: (03) 3352-6286Fax: (03) [email protected]

UKRAINEAlexander Derkachenko Pereulok Akademik Zelinskiy 8, flat 12 Kiev 04070 Ukraine Tel. +38(050) 334 27 59Tel. +38(044) 599 04 [email protected]

WASHINGTON DCBrooksie KoopmanTel: 703-549-3169 (H) 703-615-2295 (C)[email protected]

Chapters

JAPAN

Fourteen members and guests gathered at our new venue, Nihon University, College of Economics, in Tokyo on September 1, 2019.

Our ardent member Mr. Takazawa Kenji spoke to us about Edo period paintings that depict netsuke and netsuke subjects. He introduced the 18th century painter Nichōsai, who portrayed various “hells,” as well as the 19th century painter and carver Genkōsai who published the book Inrō fu. Mr. Takazawa showed images of various paintings by them and of carvings at temples and shrines. One fascinating example was “heavy smoker’s hell,” painted by Nichōsai, in which a smoker was turned into a kiseru with burning tobacco inside his open mouth! The kiseru is smoked by an oni sitting beside a tobacco pouch with ojime and netsuke, which looks like the one shown in the contemporary book Sōken Kishō.

The second speaker was Mr. Yamada Takashi, an avid collector and amateur carver. He used to be an engineer of x-ray measurement devices and took advantage of his knowledge and expertise to identify different types of wood. He calculated relative density of antique wooden netsuke from Nagoya and Ise, and also investigated characteristics of each wood by observing the surface with a microscope. He found that natsume (jujube) was often used as material for netsuke in Nagoya, in addition to boxwood and cherry tree. He is thinking of setting up a website to share his methods and results.

It was refreshing to have such contrasting lectures in a classroom of the university, and we had a delicious lunch at a nearby restaurant (seemingly more suitable for a night-time drinking party), all of which we thoroughly enjoyed! Special thanks go to our chairperson Fleischel-san and Yukari-san for the arrangements. •

Komada [email protected]

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A wood okimono of two Noh actors standing side by side with their arms linked. An assistant stands behind them (not shown in the picture above).

School of Masanao of Yamada. Late 19th century.

Signed: Masakatsu and with kakihan.

Height: 2 6 inches (6.83 cm).

P.O. Box 324, Pompton Lakes, New Jersey 07442 Tel/Fax: (201) 600-7197E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.takaraasianart.com

n 1. Kanō Eitoku. Uesugi rakuchū rakugai zu (Scenes in and around the capital). One of a pair of six-section folding screens. Second half of the 16th century. Paper, gold, color. 160.4×365.2 сm. Uesugi Museum, Yonezawa City.


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Genre scenes were becoming increasingly popular in Japanese paintings, woodblock prints, and illustrated books in the Edo period, when many artists turned to topics of everyday life, such as ritual festivities and entertainments, people of various professions, playing children, and so on. Each type of the fine arts mentioned above has its own history and artistic language. Genre painting emerged in Japanese art in the 16th century, when the first screens with detailed townscapes appeared (Fig. 1). Genre subjects are found in the 18th and 19th century scrolls, ukiyo-e paintings, and drawings of Japanese artists. Remarkable stylistic features of genre scene images of that time were close-ups—attention to every small detail of the “thingish” world—a careful study of minutiae.

Illustrated books are books created with a technique of wood engraving. The woodcut technique itself came to Korea and Japan from China and appeared in Japan in the Nara period. Initially they were Buddhist texts, sutras, and chronicles of the monasteries (Fig. 2). The first private publishing houses appeared in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, printing state-of-the-art medical literature and Confucian texts. Buddhist literature dominated from the 9th to 14th centuries, while publishing of secular literature saw a dramatic rise in the Momoyama period, reaching its peak in the Edo period.

Yahiro [email protected]

Daily Life Scenes in Netsuke as Influenced by Genre Paintings, Illustrated Book Images, and Woodblock Prints of the Edo Period

Continued on p. 8

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The Robert S. Huthart Collection of Iwami Netsuke: Part IINew Bond Street, London | 6 November 2019

ENQUIRIES London +44 (0) 20 7468 8368 [email protected]

AN UMIMATSU (SEA-PINE) SASHI NETSUKE OF A BEANPOD By Yoshida, Iwami style, 19th century £1,800 - 2,200 (US$2,195 - 2,684) A KUROGAKI (BLACK PERSIMMON) WOOD KISERUZUTSU (PIPE CASE) By Seiyodo Tomiaki (born 1746), Iwami Province, late 18th/early 19th century £4,000 - 6,000 (US$4,879 - 7,319)

New York +1 (212) 461 6516 [email protected] bonhams.com/japaneseart For details of the charges payable in addition to the final hammer price, please visit bonhams.com/buyersguide

n 2. Hyakumantō Darani (the One Million Pagodas and Dharani Prayers). 764, woodblock print.


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This was the time when literary works of Chinese and Japanese writers, Chinese and Japanese mythological and historical subjects, and various encyclopedias were becoming very popular , so i t i s no wonder the illustrations for these works included many genre scenes. In addition, the subjects of illustrated books were becoming more diverse, the amount of illustrative material increased, and by the middle of the 19th century color printing was used in some editions.

The heyday of the printing technique by the woodcut method is inextricably linked with the flourishing of Japanese prints, which peaked in the late 18th to mid-19th centuries. Unlike the books, woodblock prints were published on separate sheets, often as series, with a more active use of color.

Like illustrated books and unlike painting, woodblock prints were designed for a wider range of audiences and reflected tastes and interests of the urban class, artisans and merchants who were beginning to play an increasingly prominent role in Japanese society.

The flowering of netsuke art happened at the same time when ukiyo-e painting, illustrated books, and woodblock prints came into the fashion in the mid-to-late Edo period. Netsuke appeared in the same cultural environment as did illustrated books and woodblock prints and were an integral part of urban culture in Japan during the Edo period. As Uspensky pointed out in his book, “…the range of subjects of miniature sculpture was not limited by canon.”1 Therefore, carvers had more freedom to choose the topics for their works, which led to a large variety of images of daily life scenes in netsuke. These are images of massage therapists, travelers, citizens engaged in daily activities or participating in festivals and celebrations, gymnasts, carvers of masks, playing children, the blind, etc.

Despite the fact that daily life scenes are more common and more diverse in netsuke than in other visual arts, works of some painters, artists of illustrated books, and engravers could influence the development of “daily life” iconography in netsuke. Unfortunately, the influence of these fine arts on netsuke has not been studied enough in special literature. This article aims to reveal analogies between subjects in fine art and netsuke, and to show how genre paintings, illustrated books, and woodblock prints have influenced the depiction of everyday life in netsuke.

1 Успенский, М.В., Нэцкэ в собрании Государственного Эрмитажа. СПб.: Славия, 1994, c. 19. (Uspensky, M.V., Netsuke from The State Hermitage Museum’s Collection, p. 19).

Continued from p. 6

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n 3. Kusumi Morikage. Screen depicting Nabe-kaburi-matsuri (the Pot-wearing Festival). Detail of two-section folding screen. Second half of the 17th century. Paper, color. Private collection.

n 4. Meikeisai Hojitsu. Nabe-kaburi (Pot-wearing). Middle of the 19th century. Wood, 4.5×1 сm. The State Hermitage Museum.


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Festivals (o-matsuri) traditionally are held in the late summer and autumn in Japan and are related to the worship of Shinto gods as an expression of gratitude for the harvest. Usually during these festivals “divine palanquins” (o-mikoshi) are carried through the streets, and the procession is accompanied by music and dancing. Each prefecture has its own festivals and holds them in their own way. Some o-matsuri date back to the Edo period or earlier times, and their images can be seen in paintings, woodblock prints, and netsuke.

Nabe-kaburi-matsuri (pot-wearing festival) is held in the Shinto shrine Chikuma, Maibara City, present Shiga prefecture. “On the day of the festival, held yearly on May 8, local women visit the shrine, wearing on their heads a number of clay pots corresponding to the number of men with whom they have had a relationship. If they try to cheat, [the] god’s punishment befalls them, and pots fall from their heads. Then all the people around start to laugh.”2

The left side of the two-section folding screen made by the Kano school artist Kusumi Morikage shows a girl with a few pots on her head (Fig. 3). Her body is curved smoothly, as if she is dancing, and she is raising her left hand while holding the kimono’s hem by the right one. The composition of the netsuke carved by Meikeisai Hojitsu

(Fig. 4) is very close to the screen’s image. However, the left hand of the girl is not taken aside and the figure is frontal, which results in a compact and static composition and makes the netsuke more comfortable to use. Despite some differences due to the functional purpose of netsuke, in this case a strong influence of the pictorial image on the miniature sculpture can be seen.

Suzume-odori (sparrow dance) is a dance first performed in 1603 by builders and masons at a ceremony held in the honor of the completion of moving the Sendai castle to a new place. To do this job the workers came from other provinces and later stayed in Sendai and the surrounding area, so the

2 Успенский, М.В., Нэцкэ в собрании Государственного Эрмитажа. СПб.: Славия, 1994, c. 47. (Uspensky, M.V., Netsuke from The State Hermitage Museum’s Collection, p. 47).

Continued from p. 8

Continued on p. 12

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Exquisite Netsuke of the famous Dancer Izumo no OkuniJapan | Tôkyô, around 1900 | Kawahara Ryo Result: € 38,500

Free catalogues | Online catalogues | Dates: www.van-ham.comVAN HAM Fine Art Auctioneers | Hitzelerstrasse 2 | 50968 Cologne | GermanyPhone: +49 (221) 925862-0 | Fax: -4 | [email protected]

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n 7. Yashima Gakutei. One of six prints for Katsushika’s poetic club. Approx. 1825. Surimono. 20.1×18 сm. Austrian Museum of Applied Arts.

n 6. Katsushika Hokusai. Suzume-odori. Onogabakamura Mudazi Ezukushi . Second part, 1827. Woodblock print. National Diet Library.

n 5. Katsushika Hokusai. Manga, vol. 3, 1815. Woodblock print.


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dance spread widely and became very popular among the citizens, being performed at various ceremonies and festivals. The dance received its name because the dancers’ movements resemble those of sparrows pecking food.

Some examples of images of this dance can be found in illustrated books and woodblock prints. In his Manga (Fig. 5), Katsushika Hokusai depicts a dancer in different positions, showing various details of the movement of suzume-odori. The man is dressed in happi, his face is covered by a straw hat. Hokusai uses only light brown color to depict the body and two shades of gray for the clothing. All attention is focused on the expression of different dance movements. In a less known book, Onogabakamura Mudazi Ezukushi, Hokusai not o n l y d e p i c t s a m a n

performing suzume-odori (Fig. 6), but also adds verbal comments on the technique of the dance.

The surimono made by Gakutei shows two dancers from behind (Fig. 7). Its artistic manner is close to Hokusai’s style, but various colors are used more abundantly. For example, accents of red color on the clothes resonate with the decorative red vertical stripe at the background, black shoes with black horizontal stripes, and belts and accessories imitating sparrow feathers are depicted with rich brown color. Rhythmic arrangement of color accents gives to the work of Gakutei a more dynamic and decorative character.

Continued from p. 10

Continued on p. 14

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n 10. Unknown artist. Demon during the purificatory Setsubun ceremony. Middle to second half of the 19th century. Wood, 3.5×2 сm. The State Hermitage Museum.

n 9. Suzuki Harunobu. Setsubun. 1764–1771. Woodblock print. 31×21.5 сm. Honolulu Museum of Arts.

n 8. Unknown artist. Suzume-odori. Ivory, 4.9 сm. Private collection.


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While Hokusai is focusing on the technical elements of the dance and Gakutei is emphasizing decorative components

of composition, an unknown netsuke carver creates an almost portrait image of a suzume-odori dancer (Fig. 8). He carefully

carves the figure of the man, depicting individual characteristics with irony. He pictures the dancer’s facial features, his corpulence, and

his concentration on the dance, which make the subject more specific and down to earth. The netsuke figure is depicted in the same pose as

the dancer figure on the surimono by Gakutei, but, despite the compositional similarity, the netsuke is interpreted in a more realistic and vivid manner.

The subject of the Setsubun ceremony is common in netsuke and woodblock prints, but much less so in paintings and illustrated books. The Setsubun ceremony is held every year on February 3 and marks the onset of spring in Japan. Conducted in both private houses and Buddhist temples or Shinto shrines, the ceremony is related to the ritual of demon expulsion. For this purpose, people involved in the ceremony scatter roasted beans around the house, temple or shrine saying, “Demons out! Luck in!”

Suzuki Harunobu depicts a young man called wakashu conducting the Setsubun ceremony. Over his raised right hand at the top of the print, the deity of happiness, Daikoku, is pictured swimming into the room on a cloud, while at the bottom of the print a demon jumps over the threshold, fleeing from the beans (Fig. 9). It is interesting to compare the image of the demon by Harunobu with the netsuke made by an unknown carver in the second half of the 19th century (Fig. 10). Both of them are depicted in the same pose—running, leaning on the right leg and

raising the left, holding a straw hat in their hands—but the figure of a demon in the netsuke is more detailed, with

his face, clothes, the muscles of his hands and feet being carved

very carefully. Compositional similarity is so strong that it seems highly l ikely the

netsuke carver used prints by Harunobu as a model for his work. Interpreting the images, one can say that while Harunobu’s woodblock print is close to the bijin-ga genre, the netsuke, apart from featuring a figure of the popular ceremony, serves as a good luck amulet, protecting against evil forces.


n 13 . O n o S h o m i n . S e ve n b oys playing. Late 19th to early 20th century. Ivory, 3.9×5 сm. The State Hermitage Museum.

n 11. Tachibana Morikuni. Karako. Ehon Nezashi Takara, 1745. Woodblock print. University of Tsukuba Library.

n 12. Suzuki Harunobu. Children quarrelling over sugoroku game. 1768–1771. Woodblock print. 31×21.5 сm. Private collection.


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Images of karako (Chinese children) are very popular subjects that came to Japanese art from China. Children usually were depicted in Chinese clothes, with Chinese children’s hairstyles. In Japan as in China this subject has a good-luck meaning. In both visual arts and in netsuke karako subjects are extremely diverse: Children are portrayed with one of the Lucky Gods, dancing or performing music, with animals, or just playing.

In the illustrated book by Tachibana Morikuni, Ehon Nezashi Takara, there is an image of karako quarreling over the go game (Fig. 11). Four of them are fighting near the board, one has fallen on his back, right in front of the board, and two are running to help. There is a partially visible corner of a building in Chinese style at the background of this scene and some rocks and flowers at the foreground. The children are dressed in Chinese clothes and have traditional Chinese hairstyles, so we can assume that the illustration was created by Tachibana Morikuni under strong influence of some Chinese source.

Suzuki Harunobu is using Morikuni’s composition in his print Children Quarrelling over Sugoroku Game (Fig. 12), in which he depicts four fighting children and one boy falling in front of the board. The poses of karako on the images in the illustrated book and the

one in Harunobu’s print are almost identical. However, Harunobu puts the personages in a Japanese interior: a sliding paper window and a blossoming plum are pictured on the background. Children’s clothes and hairstyles, and even the sugoroku game are all elements of the environment that reflect actual life of the Japanese of the Edo period. Thus, Harunobu interprets the Chinese subject as a daily-life scene, as if accidentally seen in a neighboring house.

A netsuke by Ono Shomin (Fig. 13) depicts seven playing boys. The composition of the netsuke is more compact—children’s figures are located close to each other, there is no game board—however, the similarity of some elements, especially that of the boys’ interlaced hands, suggests that the netsuke carver was strongly influenced by Morikuni’s and Harunobu’s works. While in the book

n 17. Unknown artist. Karako with a puppy. Second half of the 19th to early 20th century. Wood, red lacquer. 3.4×2.9 сm. The State Hermitage Museum.

n 16. Shūzan Hōgen. K arako with a puppy. Wakan Meihitsu Gahō. 1771. Woodblock print. National Diet Library.

n 15. Unknown artist. Two acrobats. Middle to second half of the 19th century. Ivory, red lacquer, 5.5×3.5 сm. The State Hermitage Museum.

n 1 4 . K a t s u s h i k a H o k u s a i . Th e gymnasts. Banshoku Zukō. Reprint 1891. Woodblock print. University of Tsukuba Library.


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illustration and in the woodblock print the faces of the boys don’t express any emotions, Ono Shomin tries to show feelings of some of them, depicting a fallen child crying. Interestingly, Shomin depicts children in Japanese clothes but with Chinese hairstyles, keeping the reference to karako.

Banshoku Zukō by Katsushika Hokusai shows performing karako-gymnasts. One of them is making a “bridge,” the second one is doing a handstand on his stomach, and the third is playing a drum. As in other images of karako, the boys are dressed in traditional Chinese clothes and have Chinese children’s hairstyles (Fig. 14). In a netsuke by an unknown carver depicting professional gymnasts (Fig. 15), two children are depicted in the same position as in the Banshoku Zukō illustration, which suggests a strong influence of Hokusai’s work. However, as in the netsuke by Shomin, the master carefully carves clothes, shoes, and hats typical of the Edo period, showing a scene of everyday life common for citizens of that time.

Some other examples of the influence of illustrated book images on iconography of karako in netsuke are given in Figs. 16–20. A karako playing with a puppy (Fig. 16) is depicted in the illustrated book by Hōgen Shūzan, Wakan Meihitsu Gahō. The boy is dressed in traditional Chinese clothes and shoes, has a traditional Chinese hairstyle, and holds a puppy in his arms. A similar image of karako can be found in a netsuke by an unknown carver, which features a boy playing with a puppy (Fig. 17). Despite the fact that the netsuke is made in a generalized manner, without details, and that its surface has been rubbed out, apparently in the process of using, its similarity with the image from Shūzan’s illustrated book is obvious. Unlike Shomin, the carver of this netsuke

n 18. Unknown artist. Karako with a snowball. Second half of the 19th to early 20th century. Wood, 3.5×4 сm. The State Hermitage Museum.

n 19. Katsushika Hokusai. Karako with a snowball. Banshoku Zukō. Reprint 1891. Woodblock print. University of Tsukuba Library.


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depicts karako with a puppy and not in Japanese, but in Chinese clothes, keeping it close to the original Chinese images.

The same thing can be noticed about the netsuke by an unknown carver depicting karako rolling a snowball (Fig. 18). There is a very similar illustration in Banshoku Zukō by Hokusai (Fig. 19), even though it depicts two boys. As in the netsuke of karako with a puppy mentioned

above, the karako with a snowball are carved in a generalized manner, small details are not worked out, but their Chinese dresses resemble boys’ clothes in Hokusai’s illustration.

n 20. Katsushika Hokusai. Karako with a snowball. Ryakuga Hayaosie. First part. 1812. Woodblock print. National Diet Library.


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In another illustrated book by Hokusai, Ryakuga Hayaosie, the subject of karako with a snowball (Fig. 20) is compositionally very close to the illustration from Banshoku Zukō, but it has a different meaning here. The artist focuses not on the subject itself, but on the technical aspects of picturing the boy’s figure with a snowball, on how to put together all parts of the image. It can be assumed that this kind of image might be used by netsuke carvers as a visual aid for studying and modeling sculpture composition.

When considering the influence of visual arts of the Edo period on the formation of iconography of daily-life subjects in netsuke, we can mention first of all that the influence of painting on netsuke is not so strong as that of illustrated books or woodblock prints. It may be explained by the differing social statuses of painters and customers of paintings on one hand and netsuke carvers and their clients on the other hand, as well as lesser availability of paintings for common artisans and townspeople. At the same time,

there is a large number of compositions in the book illustrations and wood block prints that must have been used by the netsuke carvers as models for their works. Among the most quoted masters are Suzuki Harunobu, Katsushika Hokusai, and Hōgen Shūzan. Harunobu’s prints were very popular, having a large circulation and being available for common citizens including netsuke carvers. The same thing can be said about the books of Hokusai, which enjoyed a great popularity among the masters of netsuke. At the same time, a lot of similar compositions can be found in the sketches and netsuke depicting not only daily-life subjects, but other subjects as well. Hōgen Shūzan was a carver of netsuke himself, so we can assume that his illustrated books were created as samples of compositions and drawings for netsuke and were used extensively by both his contemporaries and successors.

Comparing interpretation of daily-life subjects in illustrated books and netsuke, it may be noted that traditional Chinese themes, particularly the images of karako, are reinterpreted in netsuke as scenes of everyday life of the Edo period and show typical details of everyday Japanese life of the 18th and 19th centuries. Images from illustrated books often keep stylistic proximity to Chinese originals. Even created by Japanese masters, they depict features of Chinese life as it was known or imagined by the artists of that time. Engravers, on the contrary, typically show interest in subjects of Japanese daily life, but the netsuke carved under the influence of woodblock prints are interpreted in a more realistic, closer to life manner, sometimes tending to portray the feelings of the characters or their individual features.

Despite the diversity of daily-life subjects in netsuke, this presentation focuses only on those works for which the author has found compositional sources in the visual arts of the Edo period.


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Selected BiBliogrAPhy

1. Bushell, Raymond. Netsuke Familiar & Unfamiliar. New York: Walker/Weatherhill, 1975.

2. Earle, Joe. Netsuke, Fantasy and Reality in Japanese Miniature Sculpture. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 2001.

3. Hutt, Julia. Japanese Netsuke. Victoria & Albert Museum, 2003.

4. Wilhelm, Gabor and Yoshida Yukari. Netsuke: The Netsuke Dancers. Tokyo: Yabane, 2005.

5. The Raymond and Frances Bushell Collection of Netsuke: A Legacy at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Chicago: Art Media Resources, 2003.

6. Успенский, М. В. Нэцкэ в Cобрании Государственного Эрмитажа. СПб.: Славия, 1994. (Uspensky, M. V. Netsuke from The State Hermitage Museum’s Collection).

7. 葛飾北斎『漫画 3』岩崎美術社 , 1989 (Katsushika Hokusai. Manga, vol. 3, 1815, reprinted by Iwasaki Bijutsu-sha, 1989).

8. 葛飾北斎『己痴羣夢多字画尽』岩崎美術社 , 1988 (Katsushika Hokusai. Onogabakamura mudazi ezukushi, 1827, reprinted by Iwasaki Bijutsu-sha, 1988).

9. 葛飾北斎『万職図考』大倉孫兵衛 , 1890 (Katsushika Hokusai. Banshoku Zukō. Oogura-magobei, 1890)

10. 葛飾北斎『略画早指南』岩崎美術社 , 1988 (Katsushika Hokusai. Ryakuga Hayaosie, 1812, reprinted by Iwasaki Bijutsu-sha, 1988)

11. 橘守国『絵本直指宝』 (Tachibana Morikuni. Ehon Nezashi Takara, 1745)

12. 法眼周山『和漢名筆画宝』 (Shūzan Hōgen. Wakan Meihitsu Gahō, 1771)

sagemonoyayaBane Co. LTD.

yotsuya 4-28-20-704 shinjuku-ku ToKyo 160-0004 JapanTel: +(81) 3 3352 6286

e-mail: [email protected] Website: www.netsuke.com

Niwaka entertainer wearing a KamishimoSigned TOYOMASA, 19th century, 103 mm

Ex: Inagaki collection, illustrated on the coverof Love song to Netsuke (published 1991)

It should be noted that the main common feature of all the images mentioned above is that all of them have a good-luck meaning. In this way netsuke carvers focused not only on interesting genre scenes, but also on the auspicious meaning included in the image, whether it is the image of matsuri or karako. Thus, we can conclude, that the fine art of the Edo period has a strong influence not only on composition but also on the semantic component of some daily-life subjects in netsuke. Good-luck meaning is becoming a characteristic not only of images of gods of happiness, plants, animals, and other popular netsuke subjects, but also of daily-life subjects. •

n Fig. 1a n Fig. 1b


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In the first part of this article Giovanni Rimondi analysed a group of netsuke attributed to the two Saito Ikkosai, introducing a few of their main pupils. The picture will now be completed with the contribution of Lukas Zacke, considering more netsukeshi who used the same art name Ikkosai.

INTRODUCTIONAt the basis of this study, as stated in Part I, there is the doubt that the classification existing in literature of netsukeshi who signed Ikkosai is complete or even, in some cases, correct. Keeping the approach previously used, the following part of this article will be based on the analysis of further groups of netsuke signed Ikkosai, having specific elements of similarity—such as signatures, style, and subjects—that will allow their attribution to carvers other than Saito analysed in Part I. Giovanni Rimondi will focus on the debate among the connections between Ikkosai and Toun, while Lukas Zacke will introduce another Ikkosai who carved in the style of Osaka.

A NEW IKKOSAIAs author of Part I, I am particularly interested in finding netsuke that can be attributed to Ikkosai Toun, a carver listed in all indexes of known artists and mostly identified with Saito Itaro, a master to whom I dedicated a large part of my previous study. Fig. 1a shows his typical signature. My assumption is that the name Toun has to be associated with a different Ikkosai. Fig. 1b shows a signature I will use as candidate to this new attribution. As can be seen, the kanji 光 is written in a very peculiar way: the fourth and the fifth strokes of Fig. 1a are combined in a unique, continuous one. Furthermore, the last kanji, 斎 , is not the simplified form typical of Saito Itaro. The first complication I have encountered in my research of an Ikkosai signature to be associated with Toun is the fact that plenty of the netsuke analysed are signed Ikkosai and, to a lesser extent, Toun, but never with the combination Ikkosai Toun. Comparing such works, I have found several examples of netsuke very similar in subject and style but alternatively signed Ikkosai or Toun. On the other hand, I have found a few cases of netsuke looking alike and signed Ikkosai, but with different writing styles. Let’s try to make order of such a complicated situation, considering this last case.

Giovanni [email protected]

Lukas [email protected]

Combien de Ikkosai Part II

n Fig. 4 n Fig. 5

n Fig. 2 n Fig. 3


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A PUPIL OF THE FIRST IKKOSAILet’s start with the comparison of the two netsuke of Fig. 21 (signature type Fig. 1a) and Fig. 32 (signature type Fig. 1b) which share the same subject, the story of Kakkyo, one of the twenty Paragons of Filial Piety. The poor Chinese man, who was about to bury his infant son in order to have more food to feed his old mother, is shown digging in the ground, with his wife and child at his side, when he finds a pot full of gold coins.

The similarity in style and details of the two carvings, when added to the use of the signature Ikkosai, suggests they are the product of the same school.

After some research, I was so lucky to find another example of this kind of similitude. It relates to one of the most familiar subjects of the master Ikkosai (and his son Yataro): Shoki and the oni. Fig. 43 illustrates a small netsuke having as subject the demon hunter pinching the cheek of a captured oni who attempts to flee, keeping in his left hand a

stolen stupa. An almost identical group is shown in Fig. 54 : The stupa is now a pagoda held in the right hand, and the demon has a more terrified expression, as though it is escaping a nightmare. These two cases encourage me to say that a second carver—who signed Ikkosai, but with a different writing

style and high technical skill—was associated to Saito Itaro (a case similar to that of Gyokkosai, pupil of the master, who later became

independent and created his own workshop, as we have seen in Part I). The creativity of this carver will be evident from what follows.

THE CASE OF THE UNICORN The kirin, one of the most recognized mythical animals, is a common subject in Japanese art, and is frequently found as a subject in Kyoto netsuke since the early 18th century.

1 Picture courtesy of the Tokyo National Museum; see also cat. 564 of [1]

2 Picture is cat. 164 of [2], a publication of the Tobacco and Salt Museum3 Picture courtesy of Lukas Zacke4 Picture courtesy of Gabor Wilhelm; the netsuke of Fig. 5 is about 9 cm tall, more than twice than the netsuke

n Fig. 6 n Fig. 7 n Fig. 8


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Made in ivory or wood, it is typically represented as a loner, with a single horn, horse hooves, and an elongated neck; its long, erect tail joining its neck. It is seated on its haunches, head is raised to the sky as it bays, and flames envelope the sides of its scaly body.5 The netsuke in Fig. 6, signed Okatomo, once part of the Hull Grundy collection and now at the British Museum,6 is a typical example of this fantastic being. But in the Edo of the first half of the 19th century a revolutionary variant to this iconography was developed, quite different from the supernatural being of Kyoto and, in my opinion, mainly due to the initiative of Saito Itaro and his workshop. A representation of this new model of kirin, carrying the signature of the first Ikkosai, was already given in Part I (INSJ Vol. 39/2 p. 18, Fig. 13) and here is presented again in Fig. 7,7 seen from a different angle. Compared with Fig. 6 the mythical animal appears less imposing and with more realistic features: a mixture of a goat and a deer; totally covered by fur that becomes long hair around the neck and the mouth; the tail still like that of a shishi. A further evolution is shown in Fig. 8, a representation of a kirin scratching its chin in a very similar style, but this time with feline claws and associated with the pomegranate. This version of mythical animal without hooves is often confused, even in Japanese literature, with the hakutaku (白澤, bai ze in Chinese).8 The other interesting aspect of this netsuke is the signature, clearly of the type of Fig. 1b; i.e., identical to that of our candidate for the Ikkosai Toun nomination. The provenance of this innovative netsuke is also quite interesting. Initially part of the Raymond Bushell collection,9 it later entered the François

5 Among the variants of this subject is the Nagoya style where kirin are in wood and normally represented recumbent with two horns.

6 Image courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum7 Picture courtesy of Max Rutherston8 In the Chinese tradition a hakutaku is a man-like monstrous creature with nine eyes and six horns, arranged in

sets on both its flanks.9 Illustrated in Netsuke Familiar & Unfamiliar [3]

n Fig. 9

n Fig. 11

n Fig. 10


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Storno collection and became one of the characters in Storno’s 2005 novel Le Netzké Errant [4]. In Christie’s London sale of May 16, 2007, this netsuke (Lot 302) was the object of a hard competition that ended with a surprising final price of £16,800.

More netsuke signed Ikkosai having as subject this typology of clawed kirin are known. The first one, Fig. 9, appeared in the June 1976 Sotheby’s London sale. This time the kirin is no more a loner. It appears as a mother with its offspring, both bellowing high to the sky. For this group the hammer price was £6,800. But the story is not finished. In

2000 another group (Fig. 10)10 came to light when Sagemonoya sold a family consisting of three mythical animals, with a second parent quietly grazing between the others howling. The netsuke in Figs. 8, 9, and 10 appeared in one of Gabor Wilhelm’s

witty “Off-Broadway Collector” articles in the Journal [5], without showing signatures.11 After some research I was able to obtain the signature of the last group (Fig. 10), thanks to the kindness of the current owner, Mr. Klaus Riess; it is clearly the style of Fig. 1b. There is no reason to think that Fig. 9 is from a different hand.

FROM IKKOSAI TO TOUNWhat we have seen, I believe, gives us sufficient elements to say that we are not simply referring to a pupil of Saito Itaro but to a very ingenious carver with a high level of artistry, technical ability, and originality. A further example of this is the shift towards subjects not strictly in line with the path of his master and the delicacy and richness of details with which they were executed. Starting from the second quarter of the 19th century, the interest of Edo netsukeshi moved, more and more, from legendary subjects towards everyday life and a realistic representation of nature, often created through intricate ryusa manju as is testified by several of the works of Ryuchin and his school. Our Ikkosai seems to have followed this trend, probably in a later phase of his career, a good example being the netsuke of Fig. 11,12 a group of turtles on a

10 Picture of the group without signature was kindly provided by Sagemonoya

11 Gabor Wilhelm supposed that Ikkosai’s new model of kirin may have been inspired both from an earlier carver and from the design of a 17th century inro where a gambolling group of kirin is represented

12 Picture courtesy of the Baur Foundation; see also cat. 979 of [6]

n Fig. 12

n Fig. 14 n Fig. 15

n Fig. 13


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lotus leaf, part of the Baur collection. I will give more examples of this evolution, and this will also be the occasion to add a new attribute to our artist name. Yes, we are finally going to deal with Ikkosai Toun.

To this respect, the following two netsuke have fundamental importance. They represent ver y detai led and miniaturised (about 4 cm wide) groups of various sea life: octopuses, shrimps,

squids—each one with metal inlaid eyes—and shells. The first netsuke (Fig. 12) was sold by Druot/Piasa in 2004 (Lot 34) and, thanks to the documentation of our Journal [7], we have its reproduction and signature, which is clearly of the type in Fig. 1b. The second group, Fig. 13,13 signed Toun, was part of the Behrens collection, cat. 1775, and later was acquired by Oscar Raphael. Today it can be admired at the British Museum. This gives the evidence that our Ikkosai used also the signature Toun (東雲). I was able to find another similar example of signatures correlation. This time the subject is the animals of the zodiac.

The first netsuke (Fig. 14)14 was collected by George Salting and now is in the Victoria and Albert Museum. The second group of animals (Fig. 15) was documented by Lazarnick [8] and, unfortunately, no information is given about its provenance. Again, the two netsuke look as though made by the same hand and are alternatively signed Ikkosai and Toun. Other netsuke of similar design with our Ikkosai signature15 or the single Toun signature are known, but, as I have already pointed out, the full Ikkosai Toun signature has never been documented. My first conclusion, based on what I have gathered until now, is that an Edo netsukeshi who assumed the art name Toun (東雲) was trained in the workshop of the first Ikkosai. Initially he adopted the style and subjects of his master. Later he developed his peculiar characteristics.

13 Picture courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum

14 Picture courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum15 See for example the group of Rokkasen signed Ikkosai, cat. 393 of [9], or Toun, cat. 195 of [10]

n Fig. 16

n Fig. 17

n Fig. 18


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ANOTHER IKKOSAI TOUNMy continuing research has been obsessively aimed at discovering if there exists a netsuke carrying the signature Ikkosai Toun. This has brought me to other surprising results

that further complicate the picture. Here are a few examples. Let’s start with another fish group (Fig. 16)16 —put on sale

by Bonhams in November 200917 and subsequently brought again to the market in a Trudel Klefisch auction in October 2014,18 —

which clearly has a design and stylistic characteristics very similar to those of Figs. 12 or 13. Ikkosai’s signature is incised in a style plainly different from that of Fig. 1b. We are facing a variant of the Ikkosai signature that I had previously connected to Toun.

Another subject documented in literature with netsuke signed Ikkosai (Saito Itaro) or alternatively Toun is the story of Choryo and Kosekiko on horseback crossing the bridge.19 Illustrated in Fig. 1720 is a finely carved netsuke similar to the previously mentioned models but signed with an Ikkosai variant similar to that of Fig. 16.

Let us now examine the netsuke of Fig. 18,21 an episode of daily life where a farmer and his wife are pounding rice and making cakes. It is the mochitsuki ceremony already described through another very similar netsuke from the Baur collection, made by Saito Yataro and signed Ikkosai.22 The elements of interest of this small

carving are again the signature of the same style of the previous three netsuke, and the design, so similar to that of the Kojitsu, the second

master of the Ikkosai workshop.In the middle of these rather obscure results finally comes a ray of

light. Enquiring about the online collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, I noticed in the website a netsuke where, among the lettering, can be found “Artist/Maker: Ikkosai,” without a picture of the signature. Having the pleasure to know Masami Yamada, recently appointed junior curator of the Japanese Art and Design department of the Museum, I sent her a mail asking, if possible, to access the signature

16 Picture provided by Max Rutherston

17 Lot 209, sold for a price of £2,40018 Lot 829, sold for a price of €10,50019 See [11] at page 939 for a netsuke signed Ikkosai and page 937 for a netsuke signed Toun.20 Picture documented in [2] cat. 16321 The netsuke was sold by Quinn’s Auction Galleries on September 201522 See Fig. 24 of Part I of this article

Continued on p. 28

B-26

Signed: Sukenaga.Takayama, Hida province; circa 1800.Width: 4 cm.

W.W. Winkworth (purchased 1968), London and Isle of Wight, UK

M.T. Hindson, London, UKIllustrated: Davey, Neil, Netsuke, 1974, p. 236, no.541Kurstin collection, Miami FLIllustrated: Okada, Barbra, and Gardner Neill, M.,

Real and Imaginary Beings, 1980, p. 93, no. 94Ariana Fairbanks, Boston MA

B-27

12 Queen Street, London W1J 5PG+44 20 7629 4670 [email protected] www.slmoss.com

Signed: Sukenao zō.Takayama, Hida province; circa 1860s.Length: 4.8 cm.

Sotheby’s, July 1973, lot 112Illustrated: INCS, vol.1, no.3, p.13Private collection, Switzerland.

n Fig. 19 n Fig. 20


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of the netsuke. After some time, here is the result, documented in Fig. 19.23 The little carving was collected by George Salting, the already mentioned Australian-born British art collector, who left it to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1910. The subject is an animated group of a family of farmers intent on chatting and grinding rice.24 A small netsuke interesting for its craftsmanship…and, big surprise, with the Ikkosai Toun signature; I believe it to be the first netsuke with the full signature ever documented. Before this discovery I had already associated this carving with another netsuke (Fig. 20),25 signed Toun and kept at the British Museum which acquired it in 1981 from the Collingwood Ingram collection. The group of a Sambo Kojin26 led by two attendants shows strong stylistic affinities with the previous netsuke: attention for details, similar expressions, very limited dimensions. I believe made by the same hand. At this point it is useful to mention again the information given by Ueda Reikichi [12], according to whom Toun (東雲) was the gō of a carver named Ikkosai 一光齋 , active in Tempo (1830–1843), and who used it only in his later years. Toun carved principally netsuke in elaborate designs. I believe the netsukeshi mentioned by Ueda is exactly the artist identified in this paragraph, a second Ikkosai Toun most likely associated with the one mentioned in the previous paragraph.

In conclusion it seems fair to affirm that two Toun, after having initially adopted the style and the design of the first Ikkosai, subsequently developed their own independent models. With the limited information available, it is very difficult to place them in time. They do not seem to have entered the Meiji style and only marginally can they be linked with Kojitsu, the second master of the Ikkosai workshop, being for instance the fashion of ivory manju of the 1850s basically alien to their production.

But this is not the end of story, il y a encore des autres Ikkosai.27 Let’s see what Lukas Zacke is going to show us….

23 Picture courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum24 The number of figures is seven, two more are in the background.

25 Picture courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum; picture of signature not available26 In this case the expression has the meaning “saddle for three.”27 There are more Ikkosai to come.


n Fig. 21

n Fig. 22 n Fig. 23


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RE-CLASSIFICATION OF ANOTHER IKKOSAI: THE DISCOVERY OF SARU IKKOSAI There exists another remarkable carver who particularly drew my interest and signed Ikkosai, best known for his carvings of monkeys. Therefore, to avoid further confusion, from now on I [Lukas Zacke] will refer to him as Saru Ikkosai. The reason this part of the article deals with re-classification is that Saru Ikkosai’s carvings would often be attributed to Ikkosai Toun, a name that in the world of netsuke has become synonymous with top quality. This confusion has caused many false and conflicting attributions in various publications and auction houses, which further complicate the matter when referring to them. So, let’s set the record straight. First, however, let’s analyze a typical Saru Ikkosai signature.

The signature is easily discernable from those of Ikkosai Saito Itaro, Ikkosai Saito Yataro (also known as Kojitsu), and Ikkosai Toun. One characteristic shared by all Saru Ikkosai netsuke I have seen is that in the first character, ichi, the stroke 一 has a sharp diagonal ending. Another is that in the second character, ko 光, the second and third stroke are linked in a unique wavy line that crosses the first stroke. Also, the last two strokes are joined in a peculiar way. The signature is usually located without reserve or in a polished area. Fig. 21 shows such a typical signature. All following netsuke in this article are attributed to our Saru Ikkosai by bearing this specific signature (with expected variations), but also by displaying similarities in style and subject matter. In this article I aim to give a good idea of Saru Ikkosai’s production.

SUSPECTED EARLIER PRODUCTIONSaru Ikkosai carved mostly animals and rarely one animal on its own, but rather a group of two or more, and sometimes depicting a struggle. One artistic skill he possessed was the clever contrast of expressions of the individual animals. Fig. 2228 shows a dog fighting with an octopus, an unlikely battle, with both animals signifying good health. The ivory is smooth, there are many age cracks, and the surface exhibits general wear,

showing that it has a good age. Fig. 2329 is a variation of the same subject (from the Trumpf collection and now located

i n t h e L i n d e n Museum) showing a cat struggling with the same octopus; the cat seems to have encountered a chunk too big to

28 Collection Lukas Zacke

29 Page 319, Kat. Nr. 702 of [13]

n Fig. 24

n Fig. 25

n Fig. 26

n Fig. 27 n Fig. 28


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eat. The combination of cat and octopus seems rare, and the only comparable model I could find is signed Tomochika, depicting a

cat with the tentacle of an octopus (Fig, 24).30

The last netsuke belonging to this group is Fig. 2531 which shows a very unusual group of a wrestling monkey, dog, and

hare. The subject most likely relates to the two companions of the golden boy Kintaro, the monkey and the hare, which

are sometimes shown engaged in a wrestling match. The addition of the dog, executed in typical Saru Ikkosai style, shows individuality and artistic license. (Strict subject matter aside, what is that monkey doing?) Again, the ivory is significantly worn, as is the signature. It is therefore likely that this netsuke and Figs. 22 and 23 belong to Saru Ikkosai’s early production, probably in the mid-19th century.

MONKEYSNow let us discuss netsuke of monkeys. Fig. 2632 shows the popular subject of a monkey fighting an octopus, without a doubt similar to the earlier renditions of a dog or cat with octopus. This subject refers to the legend of the dragon king of the sea, Ryujin, sending out his octopus-

physician to claim a monkey’s liver in order to heal his daughter who has fallen ill. The netsuke was recently sold at Lempertz,

fetching a price of €7,192, showing the current popularity of the artist.A completely unique ivory netsuke by Saru Ikkosai is shown in Fig. 27,33 advertised

in our journal by Takara Asian Art, and depicting a monkey feeding a mochi cake to a bear. When compared to Fig. 28,34 again signed Tomochika, the similarity of the bear shows further stylistic parallels between the two artists and supports the assumption that Saru Ikkosai was active in Edo, the geographical location of the other Ikkosai.

30 Page 345, C1080 of [6]

31 Collection Lukas Zacke32 Lempertz, Asiatische Kunst, 07.06.2019, Köln, Lot 42633 INSJ, Vol. 22/3, p. 934 Lempertz, Asiatische Kunst, 07.12.2018, Köln, Lot 341

n Fig. 29

n Fig. 31

n Fig. 32

n Fig. 30


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A UNIQUE SUBJECT: MONKEY WITH SLEEPING YOUNG, EXAMINING A FLEAFigs. 2935 and 3036 both show ivory netsuke of a monkey examining a flea from his sleeping young. The monkey curiously looks at the flea between its fingers, while the expression of the sleeping monkey is peaceful and serene. This is where it really starts to get interesting. The carving quality is exceptional (comparing those two in the hand is a joy); the choice of ivory, the stain, hairwork, and finish are all superior to his

previous works. Additionally, the carving is very much in the style of Osaka. The plot thickens once we see that there are strikingly similar examples signed

Kaigyokusai (with seal), Masatsugu, and Kaigyoku.Fig. 31,37 signed Kaigyokusai with seal Masatsugu, shows the

same motif of a monkey with sleeping young, examining a flea. The ivory is left unstained, but other than that it appears that this netsuke could be carved by the same hand as Figs. 29 and 30. Another similar netsuke is Fig. 3238 from the Baur collection and even presented on

the cover, signed Masatsugu, with distinct features from the school of Kaigyokusai, particularly evident in

the facial features. The bony knuckles, hairwork, and ears show congruencies with the two monkeys (Figs. 29 and 30) by Ikkosai.

Fig. 3339 shows another very similar netsuke, sold at Zacke in 1984, which could easily wear the Masatsugu signature, though this time signed Ikkosai. So how did this connection between Kaigyokusai and Ikkosai occur?

35 Collection Lukas Zacke

36 Collection Lukas Zacke37 No. 701 of [14]38 Picture courtesy of the Baur Foundation; see also the cover and C1039 of [6].39 Zacke, Netsuke und Inro – Ausstellung, 1984, no. 18

n Fig. 33

n Fig. 34

n Fig. 35


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Ueda Reikichi states that by 1887 pupils of Kaigyokusai had moved from Osaka to Tokyo,40 which was the hub for foreign export, particularly

through the harbour of Yokohama. Therefore it is very plausible that these monkeys were created in this particular workshop scenario, rather than in Osaka. The workshop may have recruited able Tokyo carvers, and Saru Ikkosai, adopting the Osaka style, was most likely a leading personality. Fig. 3441 gives further weight to this theory, documenting

the existence of this same unique model from the Katchen collection of a monkey with his sleeping young, picking fleas. The peculiarity of this perfectly executed carving is that it is made from wood with inlays

of ivory and horn and is signed Hojitsu. The difference in style and signature in respect to the typical works of this Edo/Tokyo master can be explained either by a pupil of Kaigyokusai using a popular and distinguished Tokyo art name or perhaps it is the answer of one of Hojitsu’s pupils to the foreign demand created by the Meiji Restoration. Let’s also not forget that Ikkosai Kojitsu was a pupil of Hojitsu. To imagine the followers of the three great masters Ikkosai, Hojitsu, and Kaigyokusai working together in Tokyo to create these incredibly fine and charming netsuke of monkeys certainly fulfills the netsuke connoisseurs’ greatest dreams. It is also worth noting that these monkeys were not only intended for export but appealed also to the domestic market. Lazarnick states that prices in the mid-1900s in Japan for works by Kaigyokusai exceeded those in Europe ten-fold.42 The reader will certainly agree with me that these monkeys are universally beautiful in quality and character.

Special mention has also to be given to a group of two very monkey-like kappa picking fleas off each other (Fig. 35).43 The netsuke holds the record selling price for any netsuke signed Ikkosai and was sold at Bonhams for a staggering amount of £37,250. Again they show that Saru Ikkosai was capable of

superior individual design. Kappa were also a treated subject of Ikkosai I.

40 Page 243 of [12]

41 Sold at Bonhams, The Julius Arlette Katchen Collection of Fine Netsuke Part II, 10.05.2017, London, lot 113, for £8,750

42 Page 559 of [8]43 Bonhams, Fine Netsuke from the Adrienne Barbanson Collection, 13.05.2013, London, lot 44

n Fig. 36

n Fig. 37

n Fig. 38 n Fig. 39


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NON-ANIMAL NETSUKESaru Ikkosai, though rarely, did not only carve animal subjects. One example is Fig. 36,44 which shows a fine tall ivory netsuke of Omori Hikoshichi and demon—a subject taken from a woodblock print—telling the story of the warrior who took the head of Kusunoki Akishige at the battle of Minatogawa in 1336, carrying a

beautiful girl across a stream only to see her reflection in the water revealing her as a malicious demon seeking revenge for Akishige. This most likely belongs to the earlier production of Saru Ikkosai, displaying also an unusual

oval reserve for the signature. Another interesting example is Fig. 37,45 which shows an ivory netsuke of Hotei in his bag. It would not have surprised me if the signature had read Mitsuhiro; instead,

it wears our typical Ikkosai signature. The existence of the same motifs throughout the Osaka school and by Mitsuhiro and Kaigyokusai is no rarity. This netsuke further underlines how Saru Ikkosai and the school of Kaigyokusai were deeply connected at the end of the 19th century.

SARU IKKOSAI WORKSHOPBesides the netsuke illustrated in this article, there exists also a large group of ivory netsuke-okimono of varying quality with our Saru Ikkosai signature. These are most likely a product of his success and show that Saru Ikkosai at some point had his own prolific workshop that focused on ivory netsuke-okimono, mostly of monkeys, intended for export, and lasting well throughout the Meiji period.

Fig. 3846 shows a typical Ikkosai-style miniature okimono of a group of monkeys mounting a stag. It is a variation of the subject of monkeys taming a horse, which is synonymous with having a good career. It is also the netsuke that started my enquiries on Saru Ikkosai. Another classic model from this workshop, the Sanbiki-Saru (or the three wise monkeys), which surely enjoyed great popularity, is shown in Fig. 39.47

44 Collection Gabor Orszagh

45 Sold by Van Ham, Asiatische Kunst, 08.12.2016, Köln, lot 2356, for €4,51246 Collection Lukas Zacke47 Sold at Zacke, Fine Netsuke, Sagemono & Okimono, Vienna, 2 June 2018, lot 6, for €4,140.80

n Fig. 40


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CONCLUSIONS ABOUT SARU IKKOSAITo summarize, from the evidence gathered until now and due to the lack of historical documents it can be supposed that Saru Ikkosai could have been a netsukeshi coming from Osaka or already active in Edo, most likely since the middle of the 19th century. His earlier work shows some stylistic similarities with the Tomochika school of Edo. If this is the case, he must have subsequently joined with Kaigyokusai Masatsugu’s pupils who, in the second half of the 19th century, had moved to Tokyo, the new name of Edo. It was at this point that his carving ability was at its peak, and he carved spectacular monkeys. It is unclear to whom the invention of the monkey-with-sleeping-young-examining-a-flea can be credited. It has been suggested that Kaigyokusai Masatsugu signed Masatsugu in his early days,48 which would mean that Fig. 32 could be the “proto-type” for this model. However, this assumption is unconfirmed, and conflicting examples signed Masatsugu do exist. In any case, the best examples by Saru Ikkosai are arguably of equal quality as the best from the school of Kaigyokusai.

Saru Ikkosai was a talented carver who, entering in the Meiji era, a period of crisis for the production of traditional netsuke, quickly directed his creativity towards models that were highly appreciated by the new market. Was he connected with his Edo/Tokyo namesakes? If a creative pupil of Ikkosai I, who signed Toun, could develop his own style carving netsuke in newly appreciated and elaborate designs, then why could not our Saru Ikkosai have done so in a similar way? The existence of superior but completely unrelated artists signing Ikkosai in the same geographical location seems rather unlikely, though entirely possible. If, however, all the Ikkosai are connected, this would certainly give further meaning to the importance of the Ikkosai school.

Perhaps an image of a netsuke, for which I have only the signature (Fig. 40),49—but which is without any doubt signed by our Saru Ikkosai—and depicting a Shoki and oni could help dispel any doubts. If it is anything like those by the other Edo Ikkosai, it may be a golden find. It was sold by Sotheby’s Parke Bernet in January 1975 (catalog no. 142), so if anyone has an image, please do get in touch!

FINAL CONCLUSIONSThe study developed by the authors has been based on a limited number of netsuke for which the real objects or images with signature were available. This means that further relevant material may be found, which will enrich or even revise some of our deductions. This does not contradict the fact that il y a bien plus d’Ikkosai que l’on pense.50

To end our review, we propose a signatures list of the main artists analysed and concise notes referring to their period of activity and reciprocal connections.

48 Page 94 of [16]

49 Page 403 of [15]

50 There are more Ikkosai than you might think.


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Art name Signature Main characteristics

Ikkosai Saito Itaro, founder of one of the main Edo/Tokyo workshops active until the early Meiji era.

Ikkosai and Toun Creative pupil of the above, who developed his personal style and used also the art name Toun.

Ikkosai Toun Follower; may be related to the above. Typical of his late style are small netsuke in elaborate designs.

Ikkosai Kojitsu Saito Yataro, second master of his father’s workshop, made many manju.

Saru Ikkosai Artist active from mid-19th century to the Meiji era, inspired by Kaigyokusai school. His main subjects were animals, mostly monkeys.

For netsuke simply signed Toun it remains impossible to distinguish between the second and the third netsukeshi above listed.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis part of the article has been possible through the study of netsuke literature (in particular bibliography 2 has been kindly provided by Mrs. Ikuko Kimura) and the important contribution, in terms of images, made available by the following sources. For museums, the Tokyo National Museum, the British Museum, the Musée des Arts d’Extreme-Orient, with the particular assistance given by Helen Loveday, curator of the Baur Collection, the Victoria and Albert Museum, with the particular assistance given by the curator Masami Yamada. For Asian Art dealer, Bonhams, Sagemonoya, Trudel Klefisch, Druot/Piasa, Quinn’s Auction Galleries, Adrian Heindrichs from Lempertz, and Max Rutherston. For collectors, Mr. Klaus Riess, Mr. Gabor Wilhelm and Mr. Gabor Orszagh. •


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BiBliogrAPhy

1. Inro to Netsuke: Tokyo National Museum Collection, Tokyo National Museum: 2000

2. 細密工芸の華根付と提げ物 (Grand Fine Craft: Netsuke and Sagemono), Tobacco and Salt Museum: 2016

3. Bushell, Raymond D. Netsuke Familiar & Unfamiliar, Weatherhill: 1975

4. Storno, François. Le Netsuke Errant, La Baconnière: 2005 Reviewed International Netsuke Society Journal, Vol. 26, No. 3

5. International Netsuke Society Journal, Vol. 23, No. 3. Gabor Wilhelm, p. 20

6. Coullery, M. T. and M. S. Newstead. The Baur Collection, Geneve: 1977

7. International Netsuke Society Journal, Vol. 25, No. 1, p. 14

8. Lazarnick, George. Netsuke & Inro Artists, and how to read their signatures, Reed Publishers: 1981

9. Davey, Neil K. Netsuke: A Comprehensive Study Based on the M. T. Hindson Collection, p. 19

10. Schwarz, Karl M. Netsuke Subjects. Wien, Bohlau Verlag: 1992

11. The Meinertzhagen Card Index in the Archives of the British Museum, F. Meinertzhagen, G. Lazarnick, 1986

12. Bushell, Raymond D. The Netsuke Handbook of Ueda Reikichi (adapted from Netsuke no kenkyu by Ueda Reikichi, 1943), Tuttle: 1961

13. Jirka-Schmitz, Patrizia. Netsuke. Gürtelschmuck aus Japan. Die Sammlung Trumpf. Book 2

14. Hurtig, Bernard. Masterpieces of Netsuke Art, Weatherhill: 1973

15. Lazarnick, George. The Signature Book of Netsuke, Inro and Ojime Artists in Photographs, Reed Publishers: 1976

16. Okada, Barbra Teri. Netsuke: Masterpieces from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art: 1982

Signature: ItsuminEx Katchen collection (K232)

www.giuseppepiva.com

GIUSEPPE PIVAJ A P A N E S E A R T

n Lot 290 (W 4.5 cm)

n Lot 294 (W 4.3 cm) n Lot 315 (H 4.3 cm) n Lot 331 (H 4.5 cm)


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On the ContinentMax Rutherston

[email protected]

June sales in the German-speaking world provided thin pickings by comparison with recent previous years.

Lempertz, Cologne, June 7, 2019 (prices include buyers’ fees)

My initial thoughts on leafing through the catalogue were that there was not much in the sale. That opinion changed when I got to view and handle

pieces, and I concluded that there were some worthwhile netsuke here with tempting estimates. As I could not attend the whole sale, I

left a good dozen low bids, and was pleased with the four netsuke which I purchased as a result. I hope that others had a similar experience, and in general I would always encourage collectors to leave “covering bids,” as it is always

disappointing to see lots sell for prices well within the range that one would have paid.

I never cease to be surprised by how much Nagoya sleeping shojo make when one considers how good examples abound. How common they are was suggested by the presence of four in the sale, three of which sold in the range €1,240 to €1,612, this last price for a Tadashige (Lot 290), which is about half what they often make. Lot 294 was a scratching shishi, wood, inscribed Minko. The description was astute, as this looks like the work of Tomin and worth the €3,720 paid for it. At €4,216 I consider the Tametaka shaggy dog (Lot 315) a very good buy, as it was a spirited example of his work with not too much wear. A very finely carved boxwood Fukurokuju by Hōmin (Lot 331) was a bargain at €868.

n Lot 374 (H 10.4 cm) n Lot 421 (H 5 cm)

n Lot 366 (H 4.9 cm)

n Lot 367 (H 9.3 cm)

n Lot 370 (H 3.7 cm) n Lot 373 (W 4.1 cm)

n Lot 410 ((W 3.2 cm)


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Tokoku consistently strikes me as one of the more interesting carvers of the Meiji period, his style distinctive of his time, yet with such an interesting variety of subjects. I do not recall seeing before Hotei with Okame mask on his head, performing the setsubun ritual (Lot 366), a judicious buy at €4,960.Among legendary creatures, kirin are ever popular.

Although the boxwood example (Lot 367) was distinctly inferior to the one in the last Bonhams sale, it was also a fifth of the price at €9,920, which was

double its low estimate.

One of the more unusual netsuke in the sale was an anonymous boxwood group of two horses (Lot 370), simple in its execution, winsome in its conception. Despite an estimate of €2,500–3,000, few should

have been surprised by its price of €14,880. Lot 373 was another unusual netsuke, a bone group of skulls, a popular subject, which also sped past its very low estimate to make €5,456. Lot 410 was another skull, unusually carved from a walnut, a material which is not much prized, but this was well worth its €1,860.

I would happily have bought Lot 374, a saishiki netsuke in the style of Yoshimura Shuzan of a

ghost towering over a woman, which made €3,968. Lot 421, a compact, old, dark-stained wood court servant, was a little gem in my view, one on which I left a bid, and which I regret in retrospect, though we dealers have to know when to stop. It made €1,984.

Like skulls, octopuses (or if you prefer, octopi) are consistently good sellers. Ikkōsai frequently carved them locked in a struggle with a monkey or two. Lot 426 made €7,192.

Foreigners as a subject seem to have an enduring appeal for collectors, not least when

n Lot 426 (L 3.5 cm)

n Lot 2218 (H 4.9 cm)

n Lot 2230 (H 2.6 cm)

n Lot 2231 (H 3.7 cm) n Lot 2233 (H 5.6 cm)

n Lot 466 (H 4.6 cm) n Lot 468 (H 4.6 cm)

n Lot 2245 (H 5.2 cm)


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the carver puts one on a dromedary. Despite its diminutive size, Lot 466 made a healthy €5,704. Remind me to order some more. And finally, despite being the most common model by Mitsuharu or his workshop, a typical seated shishi (Lot 468) made a respectable €6,448. In this reviewer’s opinion the auction house did well with its key lots.

Van Ham, Cologne, June 12, 2019

This was a mixed sale of Asian art with just more than 100 lots of netsuke, most of unexceptional quality. It started well, however, with what must be a record, certainly a huge price for an attractive netsuke by the master 20th century carver Kawahara (or Kawara) Ryo (Lot 2218). It depicted the dancer Izumo no Okuni, had a distinguished provenance and publication history, and was sold for €30,000. Lot 2230 was an ivory dragon, which to my eye had a distinctly 20th century look, leaving me wondering about

its Kagetoshi signature. But two bidders seemed happy to dispute it to three times its estimate at €30,000. Lot 2231 was the ivory model of a hatching tengu which I associate with Garaku and Osaka, in this instance embellished with a stylish metal ring in the beak

of the hatchling. It made €4,000. Lot 2233 was a classic Mitsuharu kirin, signed on this occasion,

which more than doubled the estimate to take €20,000 despite alarming vertical cracks on both sides. I hope for the purchaser that it remains intact. I think we have seen Lot 2245 in a previous sale here, so presumably unsold then. It is a strong and striking wood netsuke of Fukurokuju holding a minogame, and signed Ryukei.

This time it made €1,500.

n Lot 2266 (H 8 cm)

n Lot 2292 (H 3.1 cm)

n Lot 200

n Lot 204

n Lot 211 n Lot 232 n Lot 241


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A netsuke which caught my eye, and I am not sure why I did not bid on it, was a tall wood entertainer with a horse puppet on his right hand (Lot 2266, €900). I should also have bid on the most

attractive small lacquer fox dancer (Lot 2292, €1,500). Congratulations to the buyers of those two.

Galerie Zacke, Vienna, June 22, 2019

Unlike the April sale, which I reported in the last issue of the Journal, this sale was not dedicated to netsuke alone, so that section was smaller and less good than in the previous sale. Nonetheless, there were some pieces which

will be of interest to readers. Lot 200 was a most unusual wood netsuke of Kan’u mounted on a stationery horse. I did not get to view the sale, and from

the illustration this looked like a small netsuke, but it was in fact 8.5 cm high and made a creditable €11,376. I liked the ivory netsuke described as representing a yielding samurai (Lot 204, €3,918). A suite of

four lots of recumbent oxen struck me as weak, reflected in their estimates. The best of them was the only one to sell (Lot 211, €1,264).

We are all familiar with the distinctive balled rat of the Ise Yamada line of Masanao carvers. They sell in a surprisingly broad range of prices. Lot 232 looks to be a good example, and the price of €6,067 would seem to bear that out.

I kick myself for forgetting to bid on a stylish, late, ivory carp (Lot 241), reminiscent of examples by Masanao of Kyoto in the late

18th century and Masatoshi 200 years later. Surprisingly, it was not sold. Tadakazu is well known for his far-from-rare piles

of turtles, which seem to sell consistently. There were two in this sale, Lot 243 being the more expensive at €3,539. More problematic for attribution was the large turtle with young on its back in the style of Mitsuhiro (Lot 245). I am at a disadvantage in not having handled it. The model looks stiff, but then so are the signed ones I have seen in person. Suffice to say that if is genuine, it was very

cheap at €5,056. Lot 249 was another Ikkōsai group of a struggling monkey and octopus,


n Lot 273

n Lot 289



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comparable to Lot 426 at Lempertz, mentioned previously in this report. It seems not to have had the appeal of the other and was unsold. Lot 273 was an ivory

seated kirin, featured on the inside cover of the catalogue. I questioned Zacke as to whether it was not younger than their 19th century dating of it, but even if it was, youth did not deter two bidders from contesting it to €51,760. Lot 289 was a Tomin variant of the Minko classic compact Kiyohime with the ivory face of the terrified Anchin visible inside the bell. A well-carved example, it made €5,688.

Lot 313 was described as an “excellent inlaid horn netsuke of a south sea islander.” I should be pleased that someone else might think so highly of

the moulded cross-linked casein fisherman in my bottom drawer in London. I doubt that mine is worth €2,022, and Norman Sandfield may be pleased to know that these are going up in price.

In writing about skulls à propos the Lempertz sale, I mentioned that they are popular, a point borne out by an ivory one in this sale, carved as a snake on a skull (Lot 341) which took a whopping €15,168.

The last seven lots of the auction were all netsuke by the Ukrainian carver Alexander Derkachenko. It is always brave of auctioneers to offer several netsuke by a single contemporary artist, and even braver of the carver to be exposed in this way, but it rarely works. I extend my sympathy to Mr. Derkachenko, who is a fine carver, and illustrate one of the casualties, Lot 356. •

n Lot 2

n Lot 6

n Lot 12 n Lot 14


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Auctions

Eldred’s Japanese Art Auction, East Dennis, Massachusetts, August 20, 2019 (prices do not include 20% buyer’s premium)

Picture perfect late summer weather graced the first day of Eldred’s Asian Arts Week. This was the fifty-second of the annual sales that take place on Cape Cod toward the end of August. When weather permits, and it usually does, the auctions are held outside

under a large tent, which adds to the friendly, relaxed atmosphere for which this venue is known.

Netsuke kicked off the festivities for the thirty or so in attendance, with phone and on-line bidders rounding out the field. What better way to start than with a good, old fashion oni beat-down. Lot 2 was a solidly carved, particularly ornery-looking Shoki doing his best to pummel some goodness

into the wayward imp. Truth be told, the little guy looked like he’d be more than willing to repent—or just about anything else—if only the righteous blows would stop raining down upon him. A sentiment felt by all of us now and then. Hammer price was $1,300.

One of three pieces in the auction bearing a signature of Miwa, Lot 6 was a good rendition of the

jilted and enraged Kiyohime transformed into a serpent and wrapped around the temple bell of Dojo-ji, wherein the soon to be departed Anchin hides. Though hard to see due to the dark color of the wood, when examined closely the detail of carving was abundant. Appropriate wear and layers of fine, impacted dust in every nook and cranny enhanced the overall feeling of age. This one also sold at $1,300.

From the alms bowl of Hadaka Sonja, disciple of Buddha, emerges his dragon, its form solidifying from curling mists as it twists over and

around the seated rakan. Masterful in design and carved in fine detail of boxwood stained a reddish brown with darker highlights,

Lot 12 was a pleasure to hold and examine. Signed Hokyudo Itsumin (to) next to a large stovepipe himotoshi, the piece was a testament to the artistry and skill of this mid-nineteenth century carver. It sold for $2,100.

The highest price of the day for a netsuke went to Lot 14, a Dutchman holding his rooster. Carved of stained ivory with

Ed [email protected]

n Lot 22

n Lot 44

n Lot 49n Lot 51

n Lot 70


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a mellow patina, the piece was a real eye-catcher, being relatively tall at nearly four inches and boldly carved in deep detail. The reason for the shocked facial expression of the seafarer was a mystery…until noticing the placement of the

birds’ lower claw. The lesson here being, always be careful where one puts one’s rooster. You’d think a sailor would know that. The careless mariner sailed away at

$2,300.Lot 22 was an appropriately grim-faced ivory yurei wearing a

wisteria patterned kimono. The design is such that the ghost appears to be a floating apparition, which adds to the overall eerie aura of the piece. It sold for a not so scary $800.

Variations on a theme are often enjoyable and that was the case with Lot 44, a very different take on old friends Ashinaga and Tenaga. While usually in pursuit of a fish or octopus, it’s the beating of a large taiko drum that is the quest of the cooperative pair in this netsuke. Carved of lightly stained ivory with horn inlay around the drumheads, this netsuke signed Tomochika sold for $600.

Could there possibly be a more charming, innocent smile than that of this beaming karako? Lot 49 was a delightful depiction of a joyful boy with a young ram cradled in his arms. Considering the high quality of carving apparent throughout this piece, one would assume the artist, Ichiun, would be somewhat well known, but that

doesn’t seem to be the case. Meinertzhagen has a drawing of one piece by him. That was all the

search turned up. The winning bid was $1,800. Lot 51 depicted a dragon twisting through

a cloud-filled sky. Beautifully carved with power and fluid movement in the ryusa manju style, the ivory bore a rich gold patina, showing the caress of

many loving hands. The hammer dropped at $1,500.Last but very far from least, Lot 70 was an outstanding example

of the noted artist Meikeisai Hojitsu. The Tokyo carver was held in high esteem by many powerful patrons and known for his hyper-realistic style. He did everything well, but faces seem to be where he shone brightest, and the jovial expression of this actor shows that. To quote Ueda Reikichi, “His carving is realistic, refined, graceful, painstaking and elegant.” Well stated. It sold for $1,600. •


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Jikan Mebun is an elusive, much discussed artist. On one of his approximately 12,000 index cards, Fredrick Meinertzhagen (1881–1962)1 quotes albert brockhaus (1855–1921) as saying that Mebun cooperated with a — so far unidentified — metalworker named Yasuchika (for a Yasuchika signature, please see Fig. 12). In his 19782 and 19813 publications, george lazarnick continued this research on Mebun. In 1985, the subject was taken up by thierY Portier

4 and in 1987 by alain ducros in his Netsuke & Sagemono 25 (where he shows on page 194 enlarged photographs of eight different ants). In 1995 a summary on this subject was given by ted WranghaM.6

Today we would like to present some additional photographs of less known works, possibly by Mebun.

Some Less Well-Known Ants and Snails by Jikan Mebun 自侃眼文, ca. 1820–1860: Genuine or Copies?

Else and Heinz Kress

n Fig. 1 - To our knowledge, unpublished. A brown-stained root-wood tonkotsu covered with transparent lacquer, from the collection of Prof. John hull-

Grundy (1907–1984), has been in the British Museum, London, since before 1991. The tonkotsu has a strongly marked relief over which well-executed metal ants crawl. It measures 7.1 x 7.6 x 4.4 cm and is signed Jikan Mebun on the bottom in an inlaid rectangular metal plaque. The British Museum, London, Inv. No. HG-356. kress Archives 19914.3312.


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n Fig. 3, left. - To our knowledge, unpublished. The tonkotsu of bamboo-root is decorated on one side with a snail of applied metal and stained ivory; ants are

crawling on the reverse in roughly hewn cuts. Plain interiors, unsigned. Measurements are 9.8 x 8.7 x 5.6 cm. Weston collection number 130. kress Archives 19913.0027.

n Fig. 4, right. This bamboo-root tonkotsu by Mebun from the collection of Gabor WilhelM, Paris, is decorated with a different type of snail. It is shown by G. lazarnick on p. 381 of his 1982 published book Netsuke & Inro Artists. A colour reproduction of the tonkotsu is found on p. 190 of alain ducros’ book Netsuke & Sagemono 2. Measurements unknown. kress Archives 19822.0044.

n Fig. 2 - To our knowledge, unpublished. The cord channels of this elegant tabakoire are covered with a lacquer imitating dull silver-metal, while front

and back are covered with lacquer imitating goma-bamboo. On the top and bottom there is lacquer simulating slightly decayed iron metal. One side is decorated in high relief with a well-executed snail of applied metals (perhaps not quite in the style of Mebun); on the reverse there is an inscription written in gold hiramakie. The artist decorating this tabakoire decided to incise the “silver metal” bottom with the signature Jikan Mebun. Measurements are 10.1 x 7.9 x 2.3 cm. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, Inv. No. 1913.67.10. kress Archives 19934.0104.


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n Fig. 5, right. Inrō and netsuke by Mebun, shown once in 1917.

Both sides of the inrō and the mushroom-shaped netsuke by Mebun are illustrated in Volume 7 of Baron takei MoriMasa‘s (1842–1934) catalogue, entitled Hana no masegaki (Flowers Picked at the Roadside).7

The description in the takei catalogue reads:

Mebun saku, 眼文作, pine wood ground 松木地, applied with ants in gold metal 金属虫嵌入 maki-e 蒔絵, suzumushi (bell cricket) 鈴虫, the reverse similar design. 圖印籠表面及裏面. Netsuke 根付: as above 同作, carved wood 木彫, hatsutake 初茸 (a kind of mushroom).

Each of the 1,200 sets of inrō with ojime and netsuke collected by Baron takei were placed in beautifully lacquered storage boxes, which are shown in his eight-volume catalogue. The individual storage boxes are not numbered, but the sets of inrō within each box are. In our archives this inrō is listed as takei, Volume 7, [box] H, inrō No. 5 (of a total of 25 in this box).

Measurements unknown. kress Archives 19173.1030.


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n Fig. 7. Published once in Japan, in 装身具カザルコレクション (Personal Ornaments, Casal Collection: Inrō, Pipe Cases, Combs, Osaka, 1984, Japanese text with English captions). Shown in black-and-white on p. 58, Fig. 473.

According to the Japanese text the inrō body consists of shuyu 茱萸 (river ginger tree). It is decorated with two leaves of a Noguwa mulberry (Morus tiliaefolia makino), carved in low relief and covered with a dull silver lacquer. The fruits are applied in green, pink, and black stone inlays; the stems of the mulberry fruits are of silver metal. Plain interiors. Signed Jikan Mebun on the front within a rectangular plaque. Measurements are 8.2 x 4.4 x 2.3 cm.

In 1983 the U. A. casal collection was bought by the Municipal Museum of Art, Osaka, Inv. No. 473., kress Archives 19843.0473.

n Fig. 6, left. For an exactly matching design of pine cone, ants, and pine needles, please see the enlarged detail of the interior lid of a writing box by Mebun, signed Jikan Mebun tō 刀 , shown on p. 378 of G. lazarnick‘s Netsuke & Inrō book, published in 1982.


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n Fig. 8. Published once, in 1997 in a German catalogue.

The silver metal-lined yatate was shaped from a dried fruit, possibly a mikan orange, over which three ants crawl on one side. On the reverse only one ant is found; perhaps another one was lost. Signed Jikan Mebun inside the burl-wood lid in incised characters in a shallow oval cartouche. The small yatate, from the henri VeVer (1854-1943) collection, measures only 4.0 x 4.5 x 3.0 cm. kress collection, shown as Fig. 151, p. 233, in the kress exhibition catalogue of the Museum of Lacquer Art, Münster, entitled Das Ding am Gürtel (The Thing Hanging from the Belt),9 a citation from a book by ihara saikaku (1642–1693). kress Archives 19731.0228.

A similar, larger tonkotsu by Mebun, also consisting of a dried fruit and with ants crawling over the surface, is shown in G. lazarnick’s Netsuke & Inro Artists, 1982, p. 381. Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, aVery brundaGe collection No. B70 Y316. kress Archives 19924.1002.

n Fig. 10. Also offered in 2005 at christie’s, London, lot 149, was this tonkotsu. It is described as Coarse wood ground, lightly stained, finely patinated and inlaid in pale horn and silver with a snail and ants. Signed Jikan Ganbun [Mebun]. kress Archives 20051.0101.

n Fig. 9. Published in 1982 by G. lazarnick, offered at christie’s, London, in 2005.

On page 377 of his 1982 published book Netsuke & Inro Artists, G. lazarnick describes this as Tonkotsu of rotted, worm-infested wood, embellished with a snail of pewter and natural snail shell and with several metal ants. Signed Jikan Mebun on an ebony plaque.

On July 13, 2005, christie’s, London, offered the tonkotsu as lot 150. It is described in the catalogue as coarse cedar wood ground, brushed, lightly stained. Applied with a pewter snail and various inlaid silver, shakudo, and iron ants. Signed on a metal tablet Jikan Ganbun [Mebun]. Measures 13.4 cm (W). kress Archives 19822.0042.


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n Fig. 11 To our knowledge, unpublished.

In his card index, published in 1986, Frederick MeinertzhaGen (1881–1962) discusses on p. 62 the possible collaboration of Mebun, who …according to Brockhaus, [had a collaboration] with the metal-worker Yasuchika. Later generations of researchers and collectors have also speculated on this subject.

This two-case copper (sentoku) tabakoire is signed yasuchika 安親 in incised characters (seen here to the right, below the slug). The style of writing seen on this signature may be of interest in connection with the question of Mebun’s alleged collaboration with a metal worker of this name.

The stippled metal surface of the double gourd-shaped tabakoire is decorated with the long tendrils of a flowering gourd vine. Near the top, two ants crawl over a decaying, large, gilded (?) brass leaf beside a cloisonné blossom. On the lower half, an incised raden leaf grows from a black tendril. A smooth silver-and-gold metal slug dominates the reverse.

Body and decoration of the entire object are of high quality. On photographs, this bottle gourd looks quite big, but it measures only 8.5 x 5.4 x 2.7 cm. The interior risers and interiors are gilded. GreGorios Manos (1850–1929) collection, Corfu Museum of Asian Art, Greece. Inv. No. MK.4153/5257. kress Archives 20074.2241.

According to hara shinkichi (1868–1934), there are two metalworkers with the name Yasuchika: One is the 6th generation tsuchiYa Yasuchika 土屋安親 , who died ca. 1860; the second one was of the 7th generation, ca. 59 years old in 1878 [i.e., born ca. 1819].10 During the past years, while Japanese signatures were reproduced only as printed characters, it was almost impossible to identify a signature. Today, photographs of actual signatures are reproduced in books. One very useful book for reading metal signatures is Shinsen kinkō meikan (A Comprehensive New Index of Metal Artists), printed in 1993 and written in Japanese only. On pages 454–456 a total of eighteen different signature examples are reproduced from (only) six generations of members of the tsuchiYa Yasuchika 土屋安親 workshop of metal artists.11

None of the eighteen signatures shown in Shinsen kinkō meikan are written with the rounded characters of the signature 安親 seen in Fig. 11 (above).

n Fig. 12. An example of a yasuchika signature in Shinsen kinkō meikan 11


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BiBliogrAPhy:

1. MeinertzhaGen, Frederick. The Meinertzhagen Card Index on Netsuke in the Archives of the British Museum. New York, 1986, p. 62.

2. lazarnick, GeorGe. “Mebun – Ganbun,” in Journal of the International Netsuke Collectors Society, Vol. 6, No. 3, 1978, pp. 23–31.

3. lazarnick, GeorGe. Netsuke and Inrō Artists and how to read their signatures. Honolulu, 1981, p. 371.

4. Portier, thiery. “Ganbun,” in Bulletin Association Franco Japonaise. No. 11, 1985, pp 10–17.

5. ducros, alain. Netsuke and Sagemono 2. Paris, 1987, pp. 193–199.

6. WranGhaM, e. a. The Index of Inrō Artists. Northumberland, 1995, p. 56.

7. takei, MoriMasa. Hana no masegaki (Flowers Picked at the Roadside). Japan, 1917.

8. okazaki, JoJi 岡崎譲治 . 装身具カザルコレクション (Personal Ornaments, Casal Collection: Inrō, Pipe Cases, Combs). Osaka, 1984, p. 58, Fig. 473.

9. helMert-corVey, theoder. Inrō: Das Ding am Gürtel. Bielefeld, 1997, p. 233, No. 151.

10. hara, shinkichi. Die Meister der Japanischen Schwertzieraten. 1931, pp. 234/235.

11. shokubo, ken’ichi 小窪健一 . 新選金工銘鑑 Shinsen kinkō meikan (Comprehensive New Index of Metal Artists). Tokyo, 1993. tsuchiya yasuchika, pp. 454–456.

12. “Gregorios Manos and the Greek Museum of Asian Art,” excerpt from a bilingual (Greek-English) leaflet kindly given to us in 2007 by a curator of the Greek Museum of Asian Art.

the collector gregorios Manos wholeheartedly collected Far Eastern art while stationed in the embassies of Constantinople and Vienna, and paying frequent visits to Paris and Berlin. After his retirement in 1910 he moved to Paris, where his main concern was to complete and classify his collections. In 1919, after being financially depleted by his passion for art, he decided to donate his collections to the Republic of Greece: Greece would have its own Sino-Japanese Art Museum, he himself would become its first director for life, have living quarters in the museum, and receive a small monthly allowance from the state.12

All his wishes came true. However, the cosmopolitan Mr. Manos may have forgotten the Greek sense of humor: His collection is indeed housed in a palatial museum, but not in Athens with a view of the Acropolis. Instead it stands on the beautiful, far-away island of Corfu, with a close view to the hills of the Albanian coast and so far removed from the next city that its inhabitants take the ferry to the Italian island of Sicily to do their shopping.

During our visit in Corfu we documented only the inrō and cannot report on the netsuke, tsuba, or other items stored in the museum, but Mr. Manos was a discerning collector, and a visit to the Corfu Museum of Asian Art, Greece, is highly recommended. There may even be signed and dated netsuke, suzuribako, and other items stored there that are decorated with Mebun’s ants and snails. •

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Volume 39 No. 3 Fall 2019 International Netsuke Society Journal · images of various paintings by them and of carvings at temples and shrines. One fascinating example was “heavy