A NEGORO LACQUER NETSUKE DEPICTING SHISHI NO SAKA OTOSHIUnsignedJapan, 18th-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Of zabuton (cushion) shape, finely lacquered in the negoro style, the imagery worked in shishiaibori (sunken relief), the front depicting an adult shishi standing on a rocky outpost and facing its cub below which has survived its trial, both are surrounded by a dense composition of blooming leafy peonies. The reverse shows another shishi standing next to a gushing waterfall amongst more blossoming peonies. The central peg with eyelet forms the cord attachment.LENGTH 4.1 cmCondition: Very good condition with typical wear and minor crackling and losses around the edges.Legend has it that the shishi tested the vigor of their young by throwing the young ones from the top of a cliff (shishi no saka otoshi). Longevity was assured if the animal survived.Negoro-ware is characterized by relatively simple shapes, and by a red lacquer surface rubbed to reveal an underlying layer of black. The name derives from that of a temple, Negoro-ji in present-day Wakayama Prefecture, where the technique for making the wares was discovered by accident in the thirteenth century.