76 - Ɏ HIDEMASA: AN IVORY NETSUKE OF ROKUSONNO TSUNEMOTO KILLING THE BIG DEER

Ɏ HIDEMASA: AN IVORY NETSUKE OF ROKUSONNO TSUNEMOTO KILLING THE BIG DEER By Hidemasa, inscribed Masanao 正直 and Yoshitomo 吉友 Japan, Osaka, early 19 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Finely carved as a deer hunter standing in dynamic posture, holding a long bow in one hand while looking downwards toward a stag captured at his feet. The wounded animal writhes beneath him, an arrow embedded in its side, its antlers and contorted body rendered with remarkable naturalism and expressive detail. The hunter is dressed in richly carved robes, finely engraved with scrolling karakusa motifs, while his quiver and bow are carefully articulated. Large asymmetrical himotoshi and inscribed Yoshitomo and Masanao, the former within an oval reserve. HEIGHT 4.6 cm Provenance: Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 16 May 2013, London, lot 96. Condition: Excellent condition. Shuosai Hidemasa is known to have made a number of netsuke inscribed with the names of famous Kyoto masters such as Masanao and Yoshitomo. The subject of Rokusonno Tsunemoto (10th century) killing a great deer derives from the celebrated traditions surrounding one of Japan’s earliest warrior ancestors and founder of the Seiwa Genji lineage. Renowned for his exceptional skill with the bow, Tsunemoto became a symbol of martial prowess and heroic virtue. The hunt for the great deer (oshika) represents the mastery of the warrior over the forces of nature, while the deer itself carries layered symbolism in Japanese culture, associated both with the sacred realm of Shinto and with the untamed wilderness. Literature comparison: Compare a related ivory netsuke of a deer by the same artist, signed Hidemasa, formerly in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, illustrated in International Netsuke Collectors Society (INCS), (1983), Vol. 10, No. 4, p. 16, fig. 1a.b. Compare a closely related ivory netsuke of the same subject, unsigned, illustrated in Joly, Henri L. (1912) The W. L. Behrens Collection, Part 1, Netsuke, no. 1098, pl. XX. Trade Certificate: In accordance with new EU regulations that went into effect in January 2022, we have applied for a certificate to sell this item within the EU. We expect the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology to issue the certificate in 2-3 weeks. The item can only be shipped / handed over once the certificate has been issued. This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.