Netsuke, ivory shishi, Kyoto, 18th century

Ɏ A SUPERB KYOTO SCHOOL IVORY NETSUKE OF A SNARLING SHISHI From a Kyoto workshop closely associated with Izumiya Tomotada, probably by Harutada, unsigned Japan, Kyoto, late 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Boldly carved as a seated shishi, its head sharply turned to one side and its mouth open wide in a powerful snarl, revealing individually carved teeth and a loose, movable ball within.

The body is covered in finely incised hairwork, while the superbly rendered mane and bushy tail are arranged in thick, deeply undercut curls terminating in smooth, bulbous tips. The powerful paws are drawn close beneath the body, creating a compact and pleasingly rounded composition. The pupils are inlaid with onyx, and the smoothly polished facial features and limbs provide an attractive contrast to the richly worked mane. The spaces between the limbs form natural himotoshi, supplemented by two small cord holes pierced to the underside. The original pupil inlays have been replaced with well-fitting onyx inlays.

The present netsuke belongs to a distinct group of powerful Kyoto shishi carvings produced within a workshop tradition closely associated with Izumiya Tomotada but stylistically more plausibly attributable to Harutada. Tomotada was among the most influential animal carvers of the Kyoto school and was already celebrated in the Soken Kisho of 1781. His models were copied during his lifetime, and a large body of accomplished Kyoto netsuke bears his signature without necessarily being by the master’s own hand. Works signed or attributed to Harutada within this group are distinguished by their massive, compact bodies, broad and fiercely expressive faces, and luxuriant manes and tails composed of deeply undercut curls with smooth, rounded tips.

These characteristics are all strongly evident in the present example. Literature comparison Compare a closely related unsigned ivory netsuke of a shishi and ball, attributed to Harutada, 4.5 cm high, illustrated in Bandini, Rosemary (2001) Expressions of Style: Netsuke as Art, Scholten Japanese Art, New York, no. 95. Compare also a related large ivory netsuke of a shishi standing with its forepaws on a small table, Kansai, circa 1790, bearing an added Tomotada signature, 8.8 cm high, formerly with Max Rutherston Ltd., stock no. MR2698.

Further compare a closely related ivory netsuke of a seated shishi, signed Tomotada, 5.1 cm high, illustrated in Barry Davies Oriental Art (1994), The Netsuke Collection of W. G. Bosshard, Part 1, no. 80; and another closely related ivory netsuke of a shishi, signed Tomotada, illustrated in Ducros, Alain (1987) Netsuke & Sagemono 2, p. 51, no. 6.