† A FINE STAG ANTLER RYUSA MANJU NETSUKE OF A CUCKOO AND MOON (TSUKI NI HOTOTOGISU), ATTRIBUTED TO RENSAIAttributed to Ishikawa Rensai Japan, Tokyo, Asakusa District, mid to late 19th century, c. 1860s-1880sFinely carved in openwork with a night cuckoo (hototogisu), a bird associated with the summer, flying over the crescent moon before a thoroughly stylized conception of ribbon-like swirling clouds. The back of the moon is carved with a partly ‘obscured’ seal.LENGTH 4.4 cmCondition: Good condition, appealingly worn, natural imperfections including minor age cracks.Provenance: A noted private collection, USA.The subject of a cuckoo and the moon (tsuki no hototogisu) has a long association with romance and has inspired many poems. A poem by Otomo no Yakamochi (c. 718-785), compiled in the Man’yoshu (‘Collection of Ten Thousands Leaves’), reads: “Hototogisu, ko yo naki watare, tomoshibi o, tsukiyo ni nasoe, sono kage mo mimu” (‘Come and sing here, cuckoo. We would see you, with our lamplight for the moon’).Literature comparison: Compare a closely related stag antler ryusa manju netsuke depicting the same subject, also attributed to Rensai, illustrated in Sydney L. Moss Ltd. (2016) Kokusai the Genius: and Stag-antler Carving in Japan, vol. III, p. 60-61, no. 363.13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer’s premium – only for buyers within the EU.