138 - RYOSAI: A FINE HIDA SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF THE HUMILIATION OF KANSHIN

RYOSAI: A FINE HIDA SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF THE HUMILIATION OF KANSHIN By Ryosai, signed Ryosai 良齋 Japan, Takayama, Hida province, Meiji period (1868-1912) Superbly carved in pale wood as a compact and intricately interlocked group depicting the celebrated humiliation of Kanshin. A swaggering ruffian stands with his legs planted wide apart, gathering up the hems of his robe as the future general calmly crawls beneath him, choosing restraint over a needless confrontation. Behind the bully, a jeering companion leans forward with a broad grin, supporting himself on a long staff. The three figures are dressed in finely detailed garments enriched with neatly incised borders and patterned hems, further embellished with carefully rendered belts, pouches, and caps. The composition ingeniously incorporates natural himotoshi. Signed RYOSAI to the reverse. HEIGHT 3.8 cm Provenance: Sotheby’s, Netsuke, Inro, Ojime and Kiseruzutsu, 20 February 1986, London, lot 47. Collection Otto Heinrich Noetzel, Wilhelmshaven, Germany, acquired from the above and thence by descent in the family. Otto Heinrich Noetzel (1909-1987) was a distinguished German music publisher, collector, and author with a particular scholarly interest in netsuke. A grandson of Adalbert Heinrichshofen, he directed the family publishing house Heinrichshofen’s Verlag for many decades while building an important netsuke collection. He published Netsuke: ihre Geschichte, ihre Meister, ihre Motive in 1974, followed by Netsuke: Geschichte, Meister, Motive in 1981 and Yakimono-Netsuke: Netsuke aus Porzellan und Ton in 1985, illustrating works from his own collection and establishing it as a valuable scholarly reference. Condition: Excellent condition. Ryosai was a carver of the Hida school, related to Eguro Ryosei I and II, who belonged to a lineage of carvers descending from Hirata Suketomo, one of the founding figures of the Hida school. He continued the distinctive Hida tradition, carving characteristic subjects such as frogs and other small animals, while also producing spirited figure groups in pale wood, such as the present piece. The Humiliation of Kanshin depicts an episode from the youth of the Chinese general Han Xin (d. 196 BC), known in Japan as Kanshin. Challenged by a ruffian to fight or crawl between his legs, Han Xin chose humiliation over needless violence. He later became one of the leading generals of the early Han dynasty. In Japan, the story, known as Kanshin no mata-kuguri, came to symbolize patience, restraint, and perseverance. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related boxwood netsuke of three senkyo by the same artist, dated 19 th century, illustrated in in Lazarnick, George (1981) Netsuke & Inro Artists, and How to Read Their Signatures (LNIA), Vol. 2, p. 886.