Netsuke, wood snail, Japan, 1840

NAITO TOYOMASA: AN IMPORTANT AND LARGE WOOD NETSUKE OF A SNAIL, DATED 1840 By Naito Toyomasa (1773-1856), signed Tanba Sasayama Shunshoan Toyomasa gyonen rokujuhachi Tenpo juichi nen ne no yo chu saku Japan, Sasayama, Tanba Province, 1840, Edo period (1615-1868) Superbly and powerfully carved as a large snail emerging from its shell and turning back over its surface, the fleshy head extended with two long feelers and two shorter tentacles.

Its supple body is worked with remarkably fine ukibori, the raised nodules carefully graduated in size and contrasting strikingly with the closely spaced, rhythmically incised striations of the massive spiral shell. The broad muscular foot curves beneath the body, its undulating edge conveying a convincing sense of slow, deliberate movement. Excellent himotoshi passing beneath the foot. The shell with an elaborate three-column inscription within a rectangular reserve: Tanba Sasayama SHUNSHOAN TOYOMASA gyonen rokujuhachi Tenpo juichi nen ne no yo chu saku [made by Shunshoan Toyomasa of Sasayama in Tanba, at the age of 68, in spring of Tenpo 11, year of the rat]. LENGTH 4.8 cm Provenance: Ex-collection Frank Lapisch, acquired in February 1988.

Frank Lapisch (1934-2002) was a German entrepreneur and dedicated netsuke collector who first traveled to Japan in 1960 as a German judo champion. He later founded the Tokyo-based electronics firm Alltec in 1972 while deepening his engagement with Japanese art and craftsmanship. He showed a particular preference for early ‘ur-netsuke,’ prized for their expressive carving and richly developed. A natural imperfection to the wood on the underside has been deliberately incorporated by the artist into the carving, as though forming a natural irregularity in the snail’s shell. The present netsuke is the largest, by published measurement, of only five documented examples of this model with recorded age inscriptions.

Its exceptional scale is matched by the refinement of its surface treatment and the sculptural assurance of its conception. The powerful, rounded shell and sensitively modeled body exemplify Toyomasa’s ability to reconcile bold abstraction with acute naturalism, a quality equally apparent in his celebrated hares. Together with its excellent preservation and remarkable three-column inscription, these qualities distinguish the present work as one of his finest interpretations of this uncommon subject. The five age-inscribed examples form a particularly coherent group within Toyomasa’s late work.

Those formerly in the Goncourt, Joseph Kurstin, and Anne Hull Grundy/Harriet Szechenyi collections record the artist’s age as 62, while the present netsuke and the Theodor ‘Teddy’ Hahn example record his age as 68. The inscription on the present work is especially informative, identifying not only the artist and his age but also his place of work and the year and season of execution. It further incorporates Shunshoan, a rarely used go associated, according to W. W. Winkworth, with Toyomasa’s activity as an ikebana master. This name also appears on the closely related Hahn snail. The combination of unusually informative inscriptions and finely worked ukibori raises an intriguing question of artistic influence.

The latter technique is rarely encountered elsewhere in Toyomasa’s work, while both the nodular treatment of the snail’s skin and the expanded inscriptions invite comparison with the carving traditions of Iwami, rather than the more familiar snail carvings of Gifu and Nagoya. Their conjunction suggests that Toyomasa may have known and drawn inspiration from Iwami examples, although no direct connection has been established. Whatever their source, these features distinguish his age-inscribed snails as an unusually inventive and highly individual group. Naito Toyomasa (1773-1856) was the foremost master of the Tanba school and one of the greatest animal carvers of the Edo period.

His distinctive style combines bold, almost caricatural abstraction with meticulous naturalism: compact bodies are reduced to powerful rounded volumes, while expressive features, finely worked surfaces, and sensitively observed postures imbue his subjects with immediate vitality. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related wood netsuke of a snail by the same artist, signed Toyomasa and recording his age as 62, formerly in the collection of the brothers Edmond (1822-1896) and Jules (1830-1870) de Goncourt, illustrated in Meinertzhagen, Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986), The Meinertzhagen Card Index, Part B, p. 953.

Note the shared use of the name Shunshoan, the identical recorded age, and the finely worked ukibori. This example is also discussed in International Netsuke Society Journal, 2002, vol. 22, no. 3, p. 37.