An old two-piece manju. Certainly as early as the 18th Century, the question is which part of that period?
Carved from wood, with an application of black and red lacquer, a technique universally known as negoro-nuri, the term taken from the Temple complex from where the technique originated, Negoro, modern day Wakayama prefecture. This area was within the domain of Kishu during the Edo period.
The design, for me, is an incredibly interesting one. The front is carved with a contorted Shishi surrounded by rockwork. The reverse with two bats, with interlaced wings. At the centre of the reverse-side is the entrance for the himotoshi which is surrounded by 16 petals. The interior is black lacquer.
This type of netsuke and its very design was made famous by a group of carvers, well known to enthusiasts, who were either working in or were in close proximity to the area of Tokyo called Asakusa. However, this manju predates any antler or ivory ryusa-manju by that group of artists by decades, perhaps even a century.
These earlier manju, which very few remain were the inspiration for a whole genre of later netsuke.
3.9cm
