Japan. Edo period. Mid 18th c. Muscular Oni, squatting with a fierce expression, armed manifoldly against demon-quellers. He is wearing Sh?ki'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?ki wearing such Chinese sedge hats, e.g.: -Hindson Collection, no. 1177. -Eskenazi, Carré Collection, no. 50. -Kolodotschko Collection, Lempertz Auction 9.6.2017, no. 515, no. 657.