JAPON - Epoque EDO (1603 - 1868)
Boxwood netsuke, oni on the ground with bent legs, gnarled body, sleeping with closed fists while a rat with a leaf in its mouth climbs into its hair. (Restorations)
Signed Minko
L. 5 cm
Reference: A similar netsuke illustrated in Lazarnick, The
Meinertzhagen card index on netsuke in the archives of the British
Museum, Alan R. Liss,1986,p.511
This subject refers to the Shiro legend. The oni was sent by Emma-O to destroy Daikoku. Daikoku, warned of Emma-O's evil intentions, sent his rat to thwart the plans of the king of the underworld. He found the oni asleep, and pricked its back with a branch of holly that he held in his mouth, making the demon flee. This legend is said to be the origin of the tradition of hanging holly on New Year's Eve to scare away evil spirits.
