Ueda Reikichi records Shumin as having the family name of Hara and he carves "Wooden masks and figures". He also details he was apprenticed to Shuzan or Shugetsu and he lines his himotoshi in ivory. If one mentions the name Shumin, I dare say the Zen patriarch Daruma and lined himotoshi will spring to mind. A Daruma netsuke was their 'bread and butter' model, both Shumin I and Shumin II made many of them. A Shumin Daruma represents a challenge for a connoisseur as it tests ones ability to consider and evaluate a common model. One may believe this is easy, it certainly has been made easier in the modern digital era, as one can lean on a database or search engine for immediate comparison of models, but that is not connoisseurship. Developing the ability to separate 'wheat from chaff' in the moment, that is connoisseurship . I would declare the task of evaluating common models, identifying superior from standard is not easy.
A Shumin Daruma, made with all the diligent skill of the master Shumin is a thoroughly fine, functional netsuke. Livelihood netsuke were made by just about every master and studio that existed in the netsuke industry. Let us take Tomotada for instance and the dozen Ox that exist on the planet that are likely by his hand. They are sublime when encountered. However, the Tomotada studio ox, ox made by followers, the examples made by Tokyo counterfeiters, all these muddy the waters for the previously mentioned dozen that are 'right' but we do not dismiss all ox with a Tomotada signature, we must judge each piece on its own merit and if the netsuke gods are smiling on us one day, perhaps we may get a chance at a 'right' one.
The same dues are not afforded to other artists. In fact, in some cases dismissal is simply the easier option. Our Daruma is not a typical example by Shumin. It has been afforded every conceivable care in its creation. Clean crisp lines denoting the cut of the robe which completely envelopes the zen patriarch, save for the face and chest. On Daruma's chest and stomach hair is suggested by a series of shallow scrapes of the blade and featured on this Daruma, but not on all, puzzling to say the least Shumin and his Shu - counterparts thought it necessary to inlay the nipples in horn. I dismissed a number of Shumin Daruma as they simply lack this fetish feature. In fact, this example bears the maximum gamut of inlays this school employed on this particular model. Ear ring loops, the aforementioned bespoke horn nipples and a pair of sheaths for the himotoshi. This was their deluxe model.
What further puzzles me is when Shumin I and Shumin II are mixed up. Their treatment of the subject being completely different. To illustrate, please examine the image in our gallery and the comparison video on our YouTube channel.
It is bizarre to suggest a Shumin Daruma is a Shumin Daruma, as bizarre as suggesting a Tomotada ox is a Tomotada ox. Both Shumin had their best days, they also had their worst and every day in between. Where possible select their best, with an inlay technique or two, and one can expect a reward of a netsuke of charm and character, functional and fine.
https://youtu.be/hQcQI8WToGg
