Antique Japanese Stag Antler Netsuke Rat with Fish & Shimenawa Offerings
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/2/7/132721643/bone-rat-with-fish-head-567634534-3-fotor-bg-remover-202312031155_orig.png)
For sale:
www.ebay.com/sch/xcoasterxtreme/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&rt=nc&LH_Auction=1
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Type: Katabori or Ryusa Netsuke
Material: Stag Antler with inlaid eyes
Age: Edo Period (1603-1868)
Origin/Maker: Possibly Asakusa School (Tokyo), Japan
Size: 2-1/4" long (5.7 cm)
Weight: 0.8 oz (23 g)
Provenance:
Present: Ryan Snooks collection of Japanese & Asian Decorative Art
Collected:
Condition: Item is used in good condition commensurate with age, see photos. No cracks or chips.
Subject: An openwork katabori netsuke (arguably in the form of a ryusa manju) of a rat among various Shinto shrine objects and offerings, specifically a Shimenawa (a rice straw rope used for purification, used to indicate a sacred space), and Shinsen offerings of a branch (with leaf) of the Sakaki tree (Cleyera Japonica) (possibly the remnants of a Tamagushi or masakaki) and a fish head (probably the remnants of a red snapper (tai), bonito, or carp). The himotoshi is formed by a gap between the tree branch.
Likely a reference to the custom of tying roasted sardine heads to holly sprigs to decorate the gates of houses during Setsubun. Because Setsubun is a holiday tied to New Year, maybe this was celebrating the year of the Rat. More about this practice from Wikipedia:
"From the Edo period (1603–1867), the custom of throwing beans at Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and homes of ordinary people spread throughout Japan as an event or festival to drive away evil spirits during Setsubun. It was also during this period that the custom of tying roasted sardine heads to holly sprig to decorate the gates of houses during Setsubun began. This custom was intended to scare away oni with the thorns of the holly leaves and the smell of the roasted sardines. The original form of this custom is recorded in the Tosa Nikki, compiled in 934 during the Heian period (794–1185). The diary describes a Shinto shimenawa (sacred rope) that was hung on the gate of a house during the New Year's holiday to mark the boundary of purification, and that a mullet head pierced with a sprig of holly was attached to the shimenawa.[9][11]"
Location:
Antique Japanese Stag Antler Netsuke Rat with Fish & Shimenawa Offerings
www.ebay.com/sch/xcoasterxtreme/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&rt=nc&LH_Auction=1
See also:
Type: Katabori or Ryusa Netsuke
Material: Stag Antler with inlaid eyes
Age: Edo Period (1603-1868)
Origin/Maker: Possibly Asakusa School (Tokyo), Japan
Size: 2-1/4" long (5.7 cm)
Weight: 0.8 oz (23 g)
Provenance:
Present: Ryan Snooks collection of Japanese & Asian Decorative Art
Collected:
Condition: Item is used in good condition commensurate with age, see photos. No cracks or chips.
Subject: An openwork katabori netsuke (arguably in the form of a ryusa manju) of a rat among various Shinto shrine objects and offerings, specifically a Shimenawa (a rice straw rope used for purification, used to indicate a sacred space), and Shinsen offerings of a branch (with leaf) of the Sakaki tree (Cleyera Japonica) (possibly the remnants of a Tamagushi or masakaki) and a fish head (probably the remnants of a red snapper (tai), bonito, or carp). The himotoshi is formed by a gap between the tree branch.
Likely a reference to the custom of tying roasted sardine heads to holly sprigs to decorate the gates of houses during Setsubun. Because Setsubun is a holiday tied to New Year, maybe this was celebrating the year of the Rat. More about this practice from Wikipedia:
"From the Edo period (1603–1867), the custom of throwing beans at Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and homes of ordinary people spread throughout Japan as an event or festival to drive away evil spirits during Setsubun. It was also during this period that the custom of tying roasted sardine heads to holly sprig to decorate the gates of houses during Setsubun began. This custom was intended to scare away oni with the thorns of the holly leaves and the smell of the roasted sardines. The original form of this custom is recorded in the Tosa Nikki, compiled in 934 during the Heian period (794–1185). The diary describes a Shinto shimenawa (sacred rope) that was hung on the gate of a house during the New Year's holiday to mark the boundary of purification, and that a mullet head pierced with a sprig of holly was attached to the shimenawa.[9][11]"
Location:
Antique Japanese Stag Antler Netsuke Rat with Fish & Shimenawa Offerings