The European Chapter of the International Netsuke Society ...

[Pages:55]The European Chapter of the International Netsuke Society

Euronetsuke

No.34 Autumn 2009

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Grace Tsumugi Fine Art

Inro Decorated with New Years Emblems Signed Mochizuki Hanzan in two seals L. 7.7 x W. 5.4 cm

Exhibition 29th October- 7th November, 2009 Catalogue available

Grace Tsumugi Fine Art Ltd. 8 Duke Street, St. James's, London SW1Y 6BN U.K. Tel : +44(0)20 7930 9953 Fax: +44(0)20 7930 9954

info@grace- grace- 2

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CHAIRMAN'S LETTER

We are arranging a series of events for the Autumn. These include, I hope a visit to Paris and a talk and discussion by Max Rutherston of Sydney Moss Ltd. This will take place in their new gallery in Central London. Also we intend to have another meeting at the British Museum. Furthermore we will have an unusual specific event about which I will tell you later. This should be about the beginning of November, so do keep your diaries clear for this if you possibly can.

We have still not received subcriptions from quite a number of our members. I do ask those who have not paid to pay up now. We spend a great deal of voluntary time organising events and producing Euronetsuke. This voluntary work keeps our subscription costs down enormously. You really do get a very good deal from us.

Last year the majority of our members (aside from a few) were also members of the International Netsuke Society. As an INS director I am very pleased about this. Indeed our research shows that in the UK and Europe there were more members of the INS than members of the European Chapter. We recognise we are living through a recession. So do please keep up paying this year.

Also we seek your opinions about what we should write. Do please write us short letters about what you want. Also do write letters with pictures if you have them.

Please send these to me.

David Burditt, Willows, Windsor Road, Datchet SL3 9BR

Note: The front image is the magnificent red laquer Tengu mask by Hokei, possibly of Sojoba the Tengu King.

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READERS' LETTERS

Dear Reader,

10th August 2009

The International Netsuke Society was privileged to honour Ryushi Komada our great Japanese netsuke artist and teacher at the New York Palace Hotel, on July 5, 2009, where he was the inaugural recipient of the Bronze Hakutaku Award in recognition of lifetime achievement in the contemporary creative art of netsuke carving and as his service as teacher to scores of students in sustaining the art for future generations. We show two pictures of his netsuke carvings. Figure 1 is the netsuke titled `Ise Monogatari'. Figure 2 is titled `Tipsy'. Both netsuke are in ivory.

Fig 1b Ise Monogatari

I think the Monogatari or Tale is about the courtier poet Ariwara no Narihiri with the beautiful Ono no Komachi on his back. Here she is at the height of her career as a poet. Both were two of the six members of the Rokkasenin the 9th century the best poets of Japan.

David Burditt

Fig 2a Tipsy

Fig 1a Ise Monogatari

Fig 2b Tipsy

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READERS' LETTERS

Dear Geoff,

I'll try to add more than you know about the South Sea Islands. Of course when you go to the south west seas you will not find much more than black men and coral. However if you delve into Chinese books "Zinmo-zue" (Vol.3) and "Wakan Sansai zue" you will read about black men the colour of black lacquer. They were called Kurobo or Konrombo. They are likely black Tamils from Ceylon and probably also jet black natives from the Ryukyu Islands. The Dutch picked them up on the way to Japan and enslaved them. They were nimble up the mast head and good with the sails.

`Bo' at the end of their names refers to bald men. Most were bald with black ringlets of black hair at the backs of their heads, indicating the majority were Tamils from Ceylon.

`Konrom' is not a mite far from `Ceylon', said with a `K' to begin it. Also the Japanese language has no consonant `R'. Thus they would refer to `Konom' and `Kelon'.

However these books I refer to leave little doubt that these native blacks were sold to the Dutch by other natives who ruled over them.

These Konrombos were excellent diving for coral, right down to the sea bed.

They dived just as far as Japanese Amas, who could stay under water for over three minutes to grab up the awabi for rich men's dinners, for mother-of-pearl and occasionally a real pearl too.

Why did Dutchmen want coral? Well they sold it for high prices in both Japan and China. Coral (Ch.'sanhu') is precious. It is one of the Eight Treasures of China, much wanted for longevity and good fortune.

Furthermore it was a symbol of rank and first rank too. Civil officers of the first rank wore coral buttons on their hats.

Coral branches and peacock feathers are called `hualing' by the Chinese, which in English implies "May you achieve the highest official rank".

All this happened after the beginning of Meiji, when the Emperor was fully in charge once again. At this time there were more samurai than jobs and so merit had come into play.

But why did the Japanese, especially the merchant Princes, want Netsuke of ebony blackmen and coral? Two reasons: First these black islanders were exotic and not often seen, just like their Dutch masters on Deshima ? they were caricatures of strange namban. Secondly wealthy chonin liked to be seen wearing coral. Sumptuary laws vanished in Meiji and townsmen wanted new, rare models for Netsuke which sported good craftsmanship combined with rich materials like coral and ebony. These allowed them to compete with the samurai, most of them now poor.

These ebony Netsuke with coral were masterpieces, not run of the mill netsuke.

Looking through the netsuke literature, I have hardly found a handful of them. All are late 19c. Alain Ducros shows one in his book "Netsuke" by a carver called Jakusi which I show in figs 1 and 2. This ebony islander grasps a huge piece of coral in his arms and legs. The netsukeshi had to carve the limbs separately so they could intertwine with the coral. They had to be seamed up perfectly together, avoiding any trace of mecanno. They were usually held by the cord through a stout metal ring. Their only fault as netsuke

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was they could sometimes like this example snag the obi with a pointed part of the coral. This netsuke is signed "Shoshi" on the right leg. I do not know why this piece has two names ? probably because this carver used both. Many carvers had multiple names.

(I thank Alain Ducros for the pics).

The Midori Gallery has acquired another example of this Konrombo oeuvre which I show below. The black man here is heaving a large block of coral from the sea bed. It has little waves of ivory around it which would avoid snagging the obi. The pink depiction of this block of coral contrasts well with the jet black islanders, especially with golden Fig 1 shells and molluscs on its top.

These netsuke are not easy to find today, despite the fact that they are quite late period netsuke. So if you see one do try and buy it.

(Note: My thanks to the Midori Gallery for using their pic. They are always amongst the top echelon of dealers. I would like their comments on blackmen & coral. I have used their pic before getting their permission to meet our print cut off date. I do hope they forgive me! This fine netsuke is signed Genrosai Mikoku.III. (Eskenazi Catalogue 1990. Length 5.7cms.)

David Burditt

Fig 2

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Dear Editor,

Ienjoyed very much issue No.33 Spring 2009. There were a lot of good and interesting articles. I would like to give my remarks to the article of Mr Nigel Platt and Mr. Burditt.

Nigel reports about the early 17th C netsuke. If one is a long time collector one can easily recognize such early pieces. They are mostly very small, just showing the design, have a lot of wear and all the features Nigel described.

Now I'll go to the very good opinions and pictures of Mr. Burditt. What I want to demonstrate are the 3 wonderful Kirins. Especially I'll concentrate on the Meinertzhagen Kirin, which is said to be from the 17th century.

For me this is not believable. Collectors looked at the simple pieces which are demonstrated from Nigel and now see this "best Netsuke of the world"! The difference of quality is too great. The fantastic expression, the most sophisticated carving, all this doesn't match into the 17th century. Both the wooden Tomatada Kirin and the Ivory Kirin are clearly 18th century.

Perhaps it would be of interest to the readers, that I was attending the Klefisch Auction end the 1980s or beginning of the 90s in Cologne.

At that time the wood Kirin was bought by Luigi Bandini from Eskenazi for a hammer of about 139 000 DM. This was a sensation at this time! But I would like to say something more about Ivory carvings in the next issue.

From Eberhard Schmidt-B?thelt

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DASTARDLY DEEDS AND DERRING-DO

Anraku's action heroes By Rosemary Bandini

Shukosai Anraku was a talented netsuke carver whose work covered a great range of subjects, and yet we have very little documentary information about him. Reikichi says succinctly: 19th Century. Ivory. Human figures and animals. Neil Davey's book, based on the extensive notes of M T Hindson, is slightly more fulsome: SHUKOSAI. Ivory. Various subjects. Good work. Lived in Osaka. 19th century. So we glean a little more information, learning that he worked in Osaka. Lazarnick's entry in "Netsuke and Inro Artists" gives a little concrete information to add to this, illustrating a netsuke dated the 4th year of Kaei, which we can identify as 1851. Only the Meinertzhagen Card Index entry, made available to us all by the supreme efforts of George and Verna Lazarnick, gives us anything remotely `meaty' to read. He records Anraku(sai) Shukosai as having worked circa 1850-1880 and being the pupil of Doraku. Meinertzhagen recorded 45 netsuke by him of which 43 were in ivory and two in wood, the later work often heavily stained in a caramelly brown. It is a colour which does not always attract the eye of netsuke collectors. Mrs Hull Grundy famously refers to this type of stain in her article on Botanical Netsuke, which appeared in The Antique Collector in 1961. Speaking of Mitsuhiro's use of this stain, she compares it unfavourably with the unstained work of Kohosai, complaining that when the stain became worn it left `an ugly patch', adding: " Also, Mitsuhiro had much to answer for, because although he managed to control his staining, yet later on other innumerable fussy carvings made for export were stained a horrible diarrhoea colour" It is, I confess, an observation which has `coloured' my initial reaction to any such piece.

Meintertzhagen assesses his work thus: "Anraku's work shows individual character

and skilled craftsmanship, without ever attaining first class rank. His netsuke lack the power and inspiration of Doraku's work. He did not escape the commercial influences of his time. His best work however is striking and effective and often shows definite artistic power."

The four netsuke which I have chosen to illustrate here date from Anraku's later period, when his work may well have been aimed at the export market as well as at Japanese buyers. In his later period he carved several powerful netsuke themed around legendary figures. Each displays a remarkable dynamism that vividly illustrates its story ? leaving us the task of identifying them.

This is not always easy, as my `exhibit A' proves. The dramatic pose of a hairy and bearded samurai clasping a sake bottle and with one arm drawn out of his robes proved quite a challenge. That he is of samurai class is shown by the two swords tucked at his waist, but his hirsute body and arms make him also look something of a ruffian. He has a towel knotted around his head, yet wears the formal kami-shimo and long flowing hakama (trousers) of a courtier. The image is very graphic and put me in mind of dramatic 19th century woodblock prints, so I consulted with colleagues in this field in order to solve the mystery. Its is in fact his ruffian-like face and court apparel, and arms partly withdrawn from his robes which give the major clue to his identity as Benkei. He is well known to netsuke collectors as a man of great strength whose childhood second name was `oniwaka' ? or young demon. Popular tales about him include his tossing of the great Midera bell into a ravine when it refused to ring properly, images of him as a child wrestling a giant carp and his legendary defeat by Yoshitsune on the Gojo bridge, which led to him swearing allegiance to his vanquisher, together with their ensuing

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