An extremely well balanced netsuke finely carved to depict a man standing on one leg, dancing and playing the drum. Signed on the back "Hideyuki".

Provenance: Betty Killam, 1977

Condition: Excellent

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An ivory crane with details finely carved, the eyes inlaid in light and dark horn, signed on the base "Bashusai Keiun".

Keiun's (Minosuke Ohmura) started carving at the age of eighteen, and is recognized as one of the best carvers of the 20th century. He was influenced by the work of Kaigyokusai Masatsugu and carried the same attention to detail and refinement. The present example is carved after a famous example by Kaigyokusai, and was one of the Keiun's favorite subject.

Provenance: Bernard Hurtig, 1976

Condition: Excellent

Please note: This item requires a CITES permit to ship outside the United States. We can apply for the permit on your behalf for a nominal cost. Please contact us for more details.

A netsuke carved in the form of the head of an Haniwa burial figure [Haniwa no atama] from unknown material given to Masatoshi. It is signed "Masatoshi sha" on the back of the neck.

In "The Art of Netsuke Carving", Masatoshi writes: "I have never seen haniwa (clay burial figurines) depicted in old netsuke. They have an elusive but distinctive charm, so it's hard to know why netsuke-shi did not take to them. It may be because Hokusai and other draftsmen didn't think to include them in the their design manuals. The head I copied is from a famous haniwa reproduced in many catalogues with critical essays by scholars. The critics do not agree on whether the head belongs to a man or to a woman, whether it is laughing or crying, and whether the object atop the head is a helmet or a coiffure. I carved the head as a "warrior with helmet," but it is also described as a woman with a sort of symmetrical hair in style called taiseishiki. The confusion in no way diminishes the attractiveness of the subject. I nicked the hear here and there to imitate the condition of the haniwa. The material was given to me. It was about sixteen centimeters long and just over three centimeters in diameter, a solid, straight, cylindrical shape. I am quite unable to identify it. All I know is that I have never used or seen it before, and I can say positively that it is not ivory, whale-tooth, hippopotamus, walrus, narwhal, boar's tusk, or boar's tooth. It mistifies me."

Published:
"The Art of Netsuke Carving" by Masatoshi as told to Raymond Bushell (reprint 1992), cat. no. 158

Provenance: Raymond and Frances Bushell

Date: 1926 Post War Edition

Size: 15 1/2 x 10 1/4 inches

Condition: Very good. (Matted print)

Date: Post 1927, Modern Edition

Size: 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches

Condition: Excellent (Matted print)

Date: 1979

Size: 13 x 9 inches

Condition: Very good (Matted print)

Date: Circa 1954

Size: 17 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches

Condition: Excellent (Matted print)

Description: A beautiful kabuki print with wonderful gauffrage embossing and baren sujizuri or traces in background by Torii Kotondo in the style of his father Torii Kiyotada whose name he adopted in 1954

Date: 1925

Size: 14.75 x 10 inches

Condition: Excellent (Matted print)

Description: This is a print from the series "A Collection of Tumbler-dolls (Okiagari-koboshi Gashu)" published by Kido Tatsudo of Osaka. Originally issued in folio sets of three prints with a description of each of the dolls pictured in each print, this is print #33 from folio #11.

Date: 1930's

Size: 9.75 x 5 inches

Condition: Perfect (Matted print)

Description: A lovely kacho-ga by the daughter of Kawanabe Kyosai published by Nishinomiya.

Date: 1950s

Size: 17.5 x 11.5 inches

Condition: Excellent. (Matted print)

Description: This print comes with the original label which states: Shibaraku is one of the Eighteen Best Kabuki plays. A personage of high rank is attacked by a ruffian and is in danger of losing his life, when a brave and redoubtable man comes to his rescue, shouting shibaraku, shibaraku and saves his life. The actor plays the chivalrous man in a costume and make-up that follow a patternized style.