A large otoshizutsu, in the form of a gourd lacquered brown. This gourd has a trailing vine in mitsuda-e which is heavily textured. Crawling over this large gourd is a Kappa (water imp) carved in antler, with inlaid eyes (horn) and crown of the head (mother of pearl).
This pipe case likely formed part of a set originally. We proffer that this case is in the manner of the Hasegawa Ikko studio. The box (tonkotsu) which would have originally accompanied the pipecase was perhaps a river-bank or some other related scene and may have carried the brand of the studio of Ikko.
As was customary with Ikko, often only one part of the assembly would have been signed.
27.5cm
