Articles
Small Netsuke* sculpture in finely carved ivory depicting a tiger feeling threatened (ears back and threatening mouth), signed by Unsho Hakuryu**, from the Edo period, mid-19th century.
This netsuke is in good condition, superb quality. Signed see photos.
Please note: minor scratches and wear from time, see photos.
Netsuke is a traditional Japanese item of clothing used to hold sagemono (literally "hanging objects"). Since kimonos have no pockets, everyday objects are carried in small boxes called sagemono. These objects are hung from their owner's obi by a cord.
was a carpenter working for Asano Naritaka (1817-1868), a ruling daimyo of Hiroshima. Alain Ducros speculates that Unsho Hakuryu was first a student of Mitani Goho, carving primarily in wood, and that he later met Ohara Mitsuhiro (1810-1875) around 1857, when Mitsuhiro was already famous and had returned to his hometown of Onomichi. It was only at this time that Hakuryu began carving ivory.
During the Bunkyu period (1861-1863), tigers were a great attraction because the Japanese knew them only through legends, paintings and their skins imported from China.
