A fine and rare wood netsuke depicting Kiyohime as a serpentine monster pursuing the priest Anchin in rage and wrapping her scaly body around the temple bell in Dojo-ji, in which Anchin is hiding. The priest Anchin fell in love with the once beautiful Kiyohime, but refrained from his passions, escaping from her which made Kiyohime transform into a dragon-like monster due to her rage. In her rage she belched a fire so great it not only melted the temple bell but also killed Anchin.

The carving has influences from the Nagoya school, but the ingenious design of the Tsu school, therefore a possible candidate could be Kokei. The netsuke is exquisitely carved, the scaly body of Kiyohime appearing like the finest Nagoya-school dragons, and her long hair is finely incised. The facial expression is expressive and malevolent, as she sticks out her tongue, about to belch fire at her rejected love. When turning the handle at the top, the aftermath of this fire breathing is visible, as the white face seen in a cracked section of the bell, turns into a face covered in black soot. The bell is carved with astonishing detail as well, the surface is painstakingly stippled. The underside with good and large himotoshi.

Category:

Netsuke

Subcategory:

-

Subject:

Mythological

Material:

Wood

Age/Country:

18th Century

Artist:

-

Provenance/Owner:

Galerie Zacke

Signed:

unsigned

Type:

Katabori

Height:

38mm mm

Width:

45mm mm

Depth:

mm

ID number: