201 - MASANAO: A WOOD NETSUKE OF THE BUNBUKU CHAGAMA (BADGER TEA KETTLE)

MASANAO: A WOOD NETSUKE OF THE BUNBUKU CHAGAMA (BADGER TEA KETTLE) By a member of the Masanao family, signed Masanao 正直 Japan, Yamada, Ise province, 19 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Finely carved, depicting a tanuki tea kettle from the famous tale Bunbuku Chagama. The badger is rendered with large handles and a removable lid, while a bushy tail curls playfully around the side. Its whimsical face with a curiously downturned snout. Himotoshi underneath, the cord attachment in the form of an eyelet under the removable lid. Signed within a polished reserve MASANAO. LENGTH 3.9 cm Provenance: Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 8 May 2026, Vienna, lot 162 (sold for EUR 4,160). European private collection, acquired from the above. Condition: Good condition with minor expected wear and traces of use. An old fill to the rim and some very light nibbling to the ears. The popular folktale Bunbuku-Chagama tells of a tanuki being mistreated as a teakettle at a temple, before being sold off and bringing great wealth to its new owner using its shapeshifting powers. Museum comparison: Compare a related wood netsuke of the bunbuku chagama, by Masanao (Ise), dated to the mid-19 th century, 3.7 cm long, formerly in the Trumpf collection, now in the collection of the Linden Museum, Stuttgart, accession no. 3174e. Auction comparison: Compare a related wood netsuke of the bunbuku chagama carved from walnut, by Masatada of Ise, 3.7 cm long, at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 9 May 2025, Vienna, lot 338 (sold for EUR 4,160).