The wolf (okami) with a skull is a common motif in netsuke art, found in the works of Tomotada and Yoshinaga among others. The skull originates either from the battlefield of Musashi or it is the wolf of Kozukahara, the execution grounds near Edo, both places being near Tokyo. The wolf is large as well as finely and expressively carved, the reddish wood polished to a shine and with black staining for contrast. “Okami” for wolf is homophonous to Okami, meaning “great god”, as the wolf used to be called out of respect for the animal. Natural himotoshi between the legs and through the skull. A powerful and early netsuke in the style of Tomotada.

Category:

Netsuke

Subcategory:

-

Subject:

Animal

Material:

Wood

Age/Country:

18th Century

Artist:

-

Provenance/Owner:

-

Signed:

unsigned

Type:

Katabori

Height:

36mm mm

Width:

55mm mm

Depth:

mm

ID number: