A wood netsuke of a tanukiby Kokei, early 19th centuryRacoon dogWooden netsukeSigned: KokeiHeight: 3.5 cmThis netsuke represents the Tanuki (raccoon-dog) while he is beating his distended belly like a drum. The Tanuki is part of Japanese mythology and often appear in Japanese folklore as a shape-shifter with supernatural powers and mischievous tendencies. Can transform into any living or inanimate shape, but often assumes the form of a monk or a tea kettle to play tricks on people. In legends, the Tanuki can cast powerful illusions: they can turn leaves into fake money or horse...
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19th centuryHeight: 8.5 cmNetsuke with a standing figure of a Dutchman in a curly wig, his mouth open, bending forward at the waist, a tasseled, trumpet-mouthed musical instrument in his right hand, his left hand behind his back supporting a small Chinese child (karako) which climbs on his right shoulder.The theme of foreigners, known during the Edo period as ijin or "different people”that indicates all the “non-Japanese", came from the strict rules intended by the Tokugawa shogun about the relationship between the archipelago and the external world: the...
Ashinaga and TenagaEarly 19th centuryIvory netuske,Ashinaga ("long legs") and Tenaga ("long arms") are two Chinese mythical figures who use their abnormally long limbs to fish: with his long legs, Ashinaga can easily emerge from the waters of the rivers and watching everything from above, while Tenaga sinks his long arms into the water, searching fishes or shellfish of which both are greedy. This couple brought their example of the benefits of a peaceful cooperation, transforming what might appear at first as a physical disfigurements, in a mutually beneficial feature...
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