HOSAI MASAHIRO: A FINE ANABORI IVORY NETSUKE REFERENCING THE LEGEND OF CHORYO AND KOSEKIKO

HOSAI MASAHIRO: A FINE ANABORI IVORY NETSUKE REFERENCING THE LEGEND OF CHORYO AND KOSEKIKO
By Hosai Masahiro, signed Masahiro 正廣 with seal Hosai 芳齋
Japan, Tokyo, c. 1860
A remarkable and intricately carved ivory netsuke, the manju-type netsuke fitted with a 'faux lid' carved in relief with a ferocious sinuous dragon forming a circle, one side pierce-carved in anabori with a design of Choryo handing back the shoe to Kosekiko after having defeated the water dragon. Two himotoshi and signed MASAHIRO with red seal HOSAI underneath. The artist was known for his meticulous anabori carvings and was a pupil of Adachi Masanobu.
DIAMETER 3.7 cm
Condition: Very good condition with few natural age cracks.
Provenance:
Sold at Sotheby's, 13 March 1987, London, lot 39. German private collection, acquired from the above.
Zhang Liang (known as Choryo in Japanese) was a Chinese military strategist and politician who lived in the early Western Han dynasty. The present netsuke depicts the legend of when Choryo met the old man Kosekiko (Huang Shigong) on a bridge. The old man began to teach the art of war to Choryo and one day Kosekiko wanted to test Choryo and threw a shoe into the river where a powerful water dragon lived. The dragon seized the shoe and Choryo defeated it and gave the shoe back to Kosekiko. The present netsuke shows exactly this scene - the proud Choryo, with one foot on the dragon's head, is presenting the shoe to Kosekiko who is mounted on a horse atop a bridge. According to legend, Choryo used the teachings of Kosekiko as a military adviser to Liu Bang, the founder of the Han dynasty.
Trade Certificate:
The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number DE-K-230523-303).
This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.