Antique
Japanese Carved Netsuke
Hotei
Happy
Buddha with Fan
Netsuke Signature: Yoshiyuki.
Circa: 1930S'
h.
2 in.(5cm), w. 1.25 in.(3cm), d. 1 in.(2.5cm)
Condition: very good
Happy
Buddha antique netsuke carved from tusk ivory in cream color with ivory markings
and age patina, depicting the always affable Hotei holding his stitched sack,
which never empties and is filled with many precious items. In his left hand he
holds a “wish-giving fan” called an oogi, with which he revives the spirits of
people. His corpulence reflects the Chinese belief that the stomach is the seat
of the soul, evoking the expansive open-heartedness of the wandering monk who
goes around taking the sadness from people of this world, returning them to a
state of joy. 
Private Collection
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