Wood netsuke of a shishi with tama

Eyes inlaid in dark horn
Signed Shozan in a rectangular reserve
3.3 cm high

The shishi is represented hunched over a foliate tama while another smaller ball is inside its mouth. The himotoshi are formed by a gap in the tail beneath.
Shozan, sometimes referred to as Masayama, is a pupil of Sato Masayoshi, from which other similar versions of this subject are recorded.