Ɏ IKKOSAI: A VERY RARE IVORY NETSUKE OF WASOBEI IN THE LAND OF LILLIPUT

Lot details By ‘Saru’ Ikkosai, signed Ikkosai 一光齋 Japan, Tokyo, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912) Finely carved, Wasobei sitting cross-legged, contemplatively smoking his kiseru (pipe) as two Lilliputians carry his tabako-ire with kiseruzutsu, pouch and ashtray netsuke, all attached to a carrying pole. His face is stern as he considers the implications of a land where his size commands respect, his sword strung to his side and the focused eyes inlaid with reddish horn. Two himotoshi to the underside. Signed IKKOSAI. LENGTH 4.6 cm Condition: Very good condition with minor expected wear, very few natural age cracks, a tiny chip to the edge of the bow on Wasobei’s head. The story of Shikaiya Wasobei was published by an author under the pseudonym Yukokushi in 1774, titled Ikoku Kidan Wasobei (‘Wasobei: Strange Tales from Distant Lands’). Known as the Japanese Gulliver, Wasobei was a wealthy merchant from Nagasaki, who traveled to six of the three-thousand worlds of the Buddhist Universe. The first translation of the story was presented to the Asian Art Society of Japan in 1879 by Basil Hall Chamberlain, and remains the only translation. Chamberlain drew several similarities to Jonathan Swift’s book Gulliver’s Travels, which came out 50 years earlier than Ikoku Kidan’s Wasobei in 1726, but concluded that while the authors may have drawn from similar inspirations, Yukokushi never came into contact with Swift’s work. The present scene is taken from part two of Wasobei’s story, Ikoku Saiken Wasobei Kohen (‘Wasobei II: Rediscovery of Distant Lands’), which was published in 1779 by Sawai Iro. According to Diuewke Eijer, Wasobei encounters the land of the Lilliputians in this story, however Sawai Iro’s book has yet to be translated. For more discussion on the story of Wasobei, see Eijer, Diuewek (2023), Wasobei L’Énigmatique, in Le Bulletin Association Franco Japonaise, no. 156, p. 26-38. For a detailed discussion of the artist see INSJ Vol. 39, no. 3, Fall 2019, pp. 29-34. The artist only very rarely carved netsuke depicting people or legendary figures. Literature comparison: Compare a related depiction of Wasobei wearing his sword and nestled into the hand of a giant in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, accession number AK-MAK-1133. Trade Certificate: The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number FR2301300082-K).By ‘Saru’ Ikkosai, signed Ikkosai 一光齋 Japan, Tokyo, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912) Finely carved, Wasobei sitting cross-legged, contemplatively smoking his kiseru (pipe) as two Lilliputians carry his tabako-ire with kiseruzutsu, pouch and ashtray netsuke, all attached to a carrying pole. His face is stern as he considers the implications of a land where his size commands respect, his sword strung to his side and the focused eyes inlaid with reddish horn. Two himotoshi to the underside. Signed IKKOSAI. LENGTH 4.6 cm Condition: Very good condition with minor expected wear, very few natural age cracks, a tiny chip to the edge of the bow on Wasobei’s head. The story of Shikaiya Wasobei was published by an author under the pseudonym Yukokushi in 1774, titled Ikoku Kidan Wasobei (‘Wasobei: Strange Tales from Distant Lands’). Known as the Japanese Gulliver, Wasobei was a wealthy merchant from Nagasaki, who traveled to six of the three-thousand worlds of the Buddhist Universe. The first translation of the story was presented to the Asian Art Society of Japan in 1879 by Basil Hall Chamberlain, and remains the only translation. Chamberlain drew several similarities to Jonathan Swift’s book Gulliver’s Travels, which came out 50 years earlier than Ikoku Kidan’s Wasobei in 1726, but concluded that while the authors may have drawn from similar inspirations, Yukokushi never came into contact with Swift’s work. The present scene is taken from part two of Wasobei’s story, Ikoku Saiken Wasobei Kohen (‘Wasobei II: Rediscovery of Distant Lands’), which was published in 1779 by Sawai Iro. According to Diuewke Eijer, Wasobei encounters the land of the Lilliputians in this story, however Sawai Iro’s book has yet to be translated. For more discussion on the story of Wasobei, see Eijer, Diuewek (2023), Wasobei L’Énigmatique, in Le Bulletin Association Franco Japonaise, no. 156, p. 26-38. For a detailed discussion of the artist see INSJ Vol. 39, no. 3, Fall 2019, pp. 29-34. The artist only very rarely carved netsuke depicting people or legendary figures. Literature comparison: Compare a related depiction of Wasobei wearing his sword and nestled into the hand of a giant in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, accession number AK-MAK-1133. Trade Certificate: The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number FR2301300082-K).

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