Antique
Japanese Wood Netsuke
Bakemono化け物
Onyudo Obozu Signed:
Gyokuzan. Circa: early 20th century
Attributed to recorded artist #164,
The Netsuke Handbook by Ueda Reikichi
H 3.75 in. (9.5cm), W 1.5 in. (4cm), D
1 in. (2.5cm) Condition:
excellent!
There
were hundreds fantastic demons and ghosts in Japanese folklore. Bakemono is a
kind of goblin in a humanoid form capable of benevolent and malevolent actions.
In this large boxwood carving, the grimacing Bakemono in a monk robe is identified
as Onyudo, or Obozu, the Big Monk. He is holding a snake staff, with a large malicious
smile baring two rows of sharp teeth, in addition to two bulging eyes, he has
a large third-eye that could petrify people in one gaze. The close grained netsuke
is tactile and well preserved in chestnut brown finish; likely created
in the late Meiji or Taisho eras, signed on one foot by Gyokuzan; who died in 1923 in the Taisho era.
Estimated Value: $500
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