NETSUKE: ONI.
Japan. Edo period. Mid 18th c.

Muscular Oni; squatting with a fierce expression; armed manifoldly against demon-quellers. He is wearing Sh鬹i's broad-rimmed sedge hat; whith a wavy rim circled by three fine ornamental bands; yet broken; with a piece is missing above the Oni's right eye. Maybe he found it; discarded? The hat harbours a surprise: If prised open; the top reveals the second himotoshi inside as a carved loop. For additional protection; Oni is clutching Daikoku's mallet across his body with both hands. A long-haired fur cloak of invisibility covers his back; engraved and stained in fine detail. His protection is completed by his impressive muscles: His legs are truly sturdy; the right one folded under; both ankles circled with two decorative hoops each - as is the wrist - above strong feet armed with awesome claws. Teeth and fangs are bared snarling; carved in meticulous detail. This Oni is not going to get caught; if he can help it. Boxwood; finely carved and engraved; with darker staining. Signed on top of the hat: Gessen. H.4.2cm. Condition A.

Provenance:
-B. Drake Collection; sold in London 1928.
-F. Meinertzshagen Collection.
-Hindson Collection. Auction VI; 11.3.1969. See N.Davey; 'Hindson Collection'; p.105; no. 297; he dates it late 18th/early 19th century.
-Topper Collection.

Literature:
-Illustrated in MCI; p. 78; who dates the piece late 18th/early 19th century.
-Albert Brockhaus; Netsuke 1909; p. 124 ; depicts 4 netsuke which he describes as`four netsuke following illustrations by Yoshimura Shuzan from Soken Kisho; 1781'. No. 144 is very like this piece.

Sample illustrations of Sh鬹i wearing such Chinese sedge hats; e.g.:
-Hindson Collection; no. 1177.
-Eskenazi; Carr?Collection; no. 50.
-Kolodotschko Collection; Lempertz Auction 9.6.2017; no. 515; no. 657.Art trade; Van Ham.