SHIGEKAZU: A FINE WOOD NETSUKE OF AN EMACIATED WOLF WITH A SEVERED HEAD

SHIGEKAZU: A FINE WOOD NETSUKE OF AN EMACIATED WOLF WITH A SEVERED HEAD

By Shigekazu, signed Shigekazu 重一
Japan, Tanba Province, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

Very finely carved as a voracious, emaciated wolf, or yama-inu (mountain dog), its head raised and ears pricked back as it protectively growls over as severed head, revealing its sharp teeth. The head with neatly incised long hair, closed eyes, and teeth biting into the lower lip. The artist strikes a delicate balance between dramatic effect, humor, and anatomical precision, the yama-inu being depicted in an exaggerated, dramatized manner, while the bones and muscles are carved naturalistically. The eyes are inlaid in stained bone with incised, dark pupils. Natural himotoshi. Signed on a polished reserve SHIGEKAZU.

LENGTH 4.6 cm

Condition: Very good condition with only minor wear.

The netsuke alludes to the practice of leaving bodies of executed criminals on the ground for animals to eat. Raymond Bushell offers the opinion that severed heads were not actually left for animals, but rather that the image symbolized the fear of the traveler dying far from home without family to bury him properly.

Auction comparison:
Compare a closely related Toyomasa School wood carving of an emaciated wolf with a tortoise, unsigned, dated to the 19th century, at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 28 April 2023, Vienna, lot 52 (sold for EUR 7,800).