A WOOD NETSUKE OF A CLUSTER OF RATS, ATTRIBUTED TO KAIGYOKUDO MASATERU Attributed to Kaigyokudo Masateru (1871-1946), unsigned Japan, Osaka, late 19th - early 20th century, Meiji period (1868-1912) A fine study of nine rodents, two adults and seven young, tumbling over each other to form a dense and animated cluster. The wood is stained dark, and the fur is finely incised. All eyes are inlaid in dark horn except for the largest rat's, which are red. The masterfully carved underside shows the dense congregation of the many rat tails and paws. Natural himotoshi. LENGTH 4.1 cm Condition: Superb condition. Provenance: English private estate. Literature comparison: Compare to similar examples by Masateru in Meinertzhagen, Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986) MCI, Part A, p. 469. Auction comparison: A closely related netsuke by Kaigyokusai Masateru was offered by Zacke, Fine Netsuke, Sagemono, 27 March 2020, lot 67.