140 - SHOKO: A FINE WOOD SHUNGA NETSUKE OF RAIJIN WITH A BATHING LADY

SHOKO: A FINE WOOD SHUNGA NETSUKE OF RAIJIN WITH A BATHING LADY By Shoko Sugonoya, signed Shoko 尚古 Japan, Takayama, Hida school, second half of 19th century Finely carved as the thunder god Raijin stepping from a bathing tub onto a billowing cloud as he attempts to return to the heavens, a drumstick in one hand and his drums slung in a satchel across his shoulders. The lady, still in the bath, grasps at him and tries to pull him back, while Raijin places a finger in his mouth in a comic, fishhook-like gesture, as if already wavering in his resolve. The lively group is rendered with characteristic Hida-school precision, the eyes inlaid in dark horn. The tub incorporates a sliding panel to the underside which opens to reveal the lady’s private parts, adding a concealed erotic element to the already suggestive composition. Natural himotoshi and signed SHOKO to the underside. LENGTH 4.5 cm Provenance: From a noted German private collection, Munich, Germany. Condition: Excellent condition. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke by the same artist, signed Shoko, dated to c. 1880-1890, 3.5 cm high, illustrated in Jirka-Schmitz, Patrizia (2000) Netsuke: Trumpf Collection, vol. 2, Linden-Museum, p. 202, no. 74. Auction comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke by the same artist, signed Suketada and sealed Shoko, though lacking the hidden erotic underside, 4.3 cm long, at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 4 November 2022, Vienna, lot 56 (sold for EUR 2,860 or approx. EUR 3,400 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).