A SUPERB 'DRAGON' TABAKO-IRE SET

A SUPERB 'DRAGON' TABAKO-IRE SET

Unsigned
Japan, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)

The pouch finely woven with a leather interior featuring a hanabishi design, the exterior with a central dragon flying amid swirling clouds on a purple-ground sky, the silver kanamono (pouch clasp) in the form of a coiling dragon with a flaming tama gripped in its talons, the scales and details very finely worked. The silver two-part manju similarly worked with a writhing dragon with gilt eyes gripping a tama, the reverse with swirling clouds, attached to the pouch by a chain and an ojime with rounded sides worked with the Tokugawa mon to the center, likely indicating this was ordered and worn by a high-ranking official.

LENGTH 14.8 cm (the pouch), DIAMETER 4.9 cm (the netsuke)
WEIGHT 168 g (total)

Condition: The netsuke in very good condition with minor wear. The pouch in very good condition with minor wear, traces of use, rubbing to the leather edges, and minor loose threads.

The Tokugawa's clan symbol, known in Japanese as a mon, the "triple hollyhock" (although commonly, but mistakenly identified as "hollyhock", the aoi actually belongs to the birthwort family and translates as "wild ginger"—Asarum), has been a readily recognized icon in Japan, symbolizing in equal parts the Tokugawa clan and the last shogunate.