Imre Jakabffy (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 2. (Budapest, 1974)

CSEH, Éva: 18th century Japanese netsuke

Nió. with sandals on his back. Wood. Height: 6,6 cm. (Fig. 10) A boldly carved, powerful, squat figure. Signature in a prominent oval frame: Shuzan (Derne?). He is thought to be a pupil of Shugetsu, who later joined the Derne family. There is a rim round hole of the himotoshi. Biwa. Cherry wood. Length: 6,8 cm. (fig. 11) On the top of the biwa there are the symbols representing the seven gods of good luck. (The biwa being the symbol of Benten, the hammer of Daikoku, the fishing rod of Ebisu, the pagoda of Bishamon, the fan of Hotei, the "jui" and the scroll of Jurojin and Fukurokuju.) The bottom is removable, with the signature of Genryósai on it. Minkoku Genryósai, (Minkoku II.) worked at the end of the 18th century and belonged to Shugetsu's school. Man lifting a stone. Cherry wood. Height: 3,5 cm. (Fig. 12) There is a lump on the nape of his neck from the strain of lifting and one of his eyes is bulging out. This eye and two protruding teeth are of inlaid ivory. A somewhat stylized, grotesque, clumsy netsuke. On the bottom there is a red signature on an inlaid ivory plaque: Gyokkei. He worked in Tokyo at the end of the 18th century. Another L3.