Ɏ MITSUHIRO: A RARE AND IMPORTANT IVORY NETSUKE OF THE GHOST OF OIWA AS A CHOCHIN (LANTERN)By Ohara Mitsuhiro (1810-1875), signed Mitsuhiro 光廣Japan, Osaka, mid-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Published: The Honolulu Academy of Arts Netsuke Exhibit (1975) INCS Journal Vol. 3, No. 1, p. 31, no. 70.Lazarnick, George (1976) The Signature Book of Netsuke, Inro and Ojime Artists in Photographs, p. 286.Hurtig, Helen (1980) Grotesqueries in Netsuke, INCS Journal Vol. 8, No. 1, p. 32, no. 26A.Lazarnick, George (1981) Netsuke & Inro Artists, and How to Read Their Signatures, vol. 1, p. 72 (in color) and p. 779.Eskenazi (1990) Japanese netsuke from the Lazarnick collection, p. 53, no. 30.Eskenazi (1998) Japanese netsuke, ojime and inro from a private European collection, p. 34, no. 26.Finely carved, the paper lantern baring the open-mouthed face of the ghastly heroine, the pupils inlaid with dark horn, her neatly incised long hair brushed back and her eyes inlaid, the incised details and inscriptions on the ivory skillfully stained for effect. The forehead bears a bonji (Sanskrit character). The back of the lantern bears an inscription Namu Amida butsu zokumyo Oiwa-jo (save us merciful Buddha, the woman commonly known as Oiwa), beside the asymmetrical himotoshi and below the signature MITSUHIRO. The staining and extensive use of sumi-e, as well as the minutely incised signature, is certainly coherent with the work of Mitsuhiro, while the size and subject matter are a departure from this celebrated artist’s usual work. It is likely that the present netsuke was a one-off commission.HEIGHT 5.1 cmCondition: Very good condition with minor wear, natural flaws including expected age cracks. Provenance: Ex-collection George Lazarnick. Eskenazi, London, 1990. Ex-collection Emiel Veranneman, acquired from the above. Eskenazi, London, 1998. Sotheby’s, May 2007, London, lot 785 (described as “after Ohara Mitsuhiro; sold for GBP 6,600). European collection P. Jacquesson, acquired from the above.Oiwa died in 1636 and even today it is believed that she haunts the place of her death as well as anyone who performs her story which was adapted into the famous kabuki play Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan (Ghost story of Yotsuya in Tokaido) in 1825. The story is a tale of betrayal, murder, and ghostly revenge which features Tamiya Iemon who poisoned his loving wife Oiwa, who in turn haunted him and drove him mad. The design of the present netsuke is taken from a woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) titled Oiwa-san from the series Hyaku monogatari (One Hundred Ghost Stories), circa 1831-1832.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.