A boxwood okimono-type netsuke of a rat catcher. Late 19th century

A boxwood okimono-type netsuke of a rat catcher. Late 19th century

Standing wearing only a fundoshi and pressing down a rice measure (masu) on a small rat, the head and tail visible, while another rat has escaped and sits on his back, the man's face with an expression of anger and exertion. All eye pupils accentuated in black, the teeth of both rats of bone.
Length 5.5 cm