MINKO: A WOOD NETSUKE OF YOJO STABBING THE KING’S CLOAKBy Tanaka Juntoku Minko (1735-1816), signed Minko 岷江 with kakihanJapan, Tsu, early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Depicting Yojo seated and stabbing Cho Bujutsu’s cloak with his sword, his expression marked with determination. The pupils are minutely inlaid in dark horn. One ringed himotoshi through the cloak and signed to the underside with red pigment MINKO. Note the superbly carved hair in the back with boldly incised strokes, interestingly somewhat similar in conception to Minko’s goat beards (lot 137).LENGTH 3.9 cmCondition: Very good condition with associated old surface wear.Literature comparison:Compare to a netsuke depicting the same subject in Jirka-Schmitz Patrizia, The World of Netsuke, The Werdelmann Collection at the Museum Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, p. 40, no. 80.The story of Cho Bujutsu and Yojo is described in Henri L. Joly, Legend in Japanese Art, p. 569. Yojo (in Chinese Yu Jang) wanted to avenge the death of his master by the hands of Cho Bujutsu. Several futile attempts ended up with Yojo begging for Cho’s royal mantle, which he then stabbed into shreds with his sword as a token of his revenge. Afterwards, Yojo killed himself as he could no longer live under the same heaven as his rival.