Large Wood Slug, Frog & Snake Netsuke
![Picture](/uploads/1/3/2/7/132721643/published/1-img-2531.jpg?1592788227)
Type: Over-sized Netsuke (i.e. Sumo Netsuke) or Okimono
Material: Stained Wood
Age: Meiji Period
Origin/Maker: Signed "Tomonobu"
Size: 5.5 cm wide
Weight:
Provenance: Leonard Joel Auction, 15 MAY 2016, Lot 472 (A JAPANESE BOXWOOD NETSUKE, CARVED WITH SNAKES AND FROGS, SIGNED TOMONOBU)
Collected:
Condition: Crack in wood, dent to tail of snake.
Subject: Slug, Frog, and Snake on a pumpkin. Based on Sansukumi-ken, an early form of "Rock-Paper-Scissors", or more specifically, Mushi-ken. From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansukumi-ken):
In mushi-ken, the "frog" represented by the thumb wins against the "slug" represented by the little finger, which, in turn defeats the "snake" represented by the index finger, which wins against the "frog".
Note, that the back of the frog utilizes the "Ukibori" carving technique, used for creating small bumps on wood.
Signed:
Material: Stained Wood
Age: Meiji Period
Origin/Maker: Signed "Tomonobu"
Size: 5.5 cm wide
Weight:
Provenance: Leonard Joel Auction, 15 MAY 2016, Lot 472 (A JAPANESE BOXWOOD NETSUKE, CARVED WITH SNAKES AND FROGS, SIGNED TOMONOBU)
Collected:
Condition: Crack in wood, dent to tail of snake.
Subject: Slug, Frog, and Snake on a pumpkin. Based on Sansukumi-ken, an early form of "Rock-Paper-Scissors", or more specifically, Mushi-ken. From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansukumi-ken):
In mushi-ken, the "frog" represented by the thumb wins against the "slug" represented by the little finger, which, in turn defeats the "snake" represented by the index finger, which wins against the "frog".
Note, that the back of the frog utilizes the "Ukibori" carving technique, used for creating small bumps on wood.
Signed: