YOSHIKAZU: A FINE WOOD NETSUKE OF MOSO INSIDE BAMBOO SHOOTS By Yoshikazu, signed Yoshikazu 美一 Japan, Tokyo, late 19th century Depicting two very finely carved bamboo shoots side-by-side, one curling underneath the other, the larger one with wormholes, through which one can see the minutely carved figure of the bamboo-farming Moso, one of the Twenty-four Filial Exemplars, wearing a wide hat and leaning against his hoe. One of the nodules is removable with a twist, so that Moso can be taken out. The nodules are embellished with tiny beads of ebony. Natural himotoshi between the two bamboo shoots and signed in a red-lacquered oval cartouche - YOSHIKAZU. LENGTH 5.8 cm Condition: Good condition, minor surface wear, two surface scratches near the node of one bamboo shoot, and a tiny chip to the very edge of the same bamboo shoot. Provenance: French private collection. Literature comparison: A very similar example by Yoshikazu is illustrated in Meinertzhagen / Lazarnick (1986) MCI, Part b, p. 152. Auction comparison: Another very similar example by Yoshikazu was sold at Bonhams, Fine Netsuke from a French Private Collection, 4 November 2020, London, lot 138 (sold for 1,912 GBP).