by the Europeans. For this reason, rams, as they are portrayed in netsuke art, are often indistinguishable from goats. Shinzan's carving of this subject displays his characteristic sensitivity. (Enlargement:1.5 times)
19. BLOWFISH (FUGU). Ivory. Signed: Ryoshu. Date: 1971. One of the delicacies that most delight the Japanese palate is the raw flesh of the blowfish, or globefish (fugu), which is served in tiny paper-thin slices, often beautifully arranged in the pattern of a chrysanthemum or a crane. But if improperly prepared, the fugu is highly toxic. Ryoshu's netsuke is an interesting, stylized portrayal of this subject. (Enlargement: 1.5 times)
20. GROW. Ebony. Signed: Sosui. Date: 1950-60. The crow is relatively rare as a netsuke subject, and this highly stylized version of Sosui, s, fashioned as a whistle, is quite reminiscent of some of the decorative art of the Alaskan Indians. According to some Japanese, the crow is a symbol of filial piety. It also makes its appearance in folktales and legends of the supernatural, sometimes auspiciously and sometimes ominously. (Enlargement: 1.6 times)
21. FROG. Ivory. Unsigned: carved by Clifton Karhu. Date: 1970. This amiable frog successfully reflects a glint of worldly wisdom and inscrutable inner contentment that are somewhat reminiscent of the twelfth-century Choju Giga Emaki, or Scroll of Frolicking Animals. Clifton Karhu is an American in Kyoto whose manifold talents have centered primarily on woodblock prints. This frog is one of his earliest and most successful excursions into the field of netsuke carving. There is no expectation that Karhu will concentrate in this field, but his avocational experiments may well lead to further achievement. (Enlargement: 2.2 times)
22. MOTHER AND BABY MONKEY AND A PEACH. Wood. Signed: Soko Morita (Somi). Date: 1920-30. Courtesy of Virginia Atchley. The monkey is the ninth sign of the Oriental zodiac and, according to Taoist legend, is the bearer of the sacred peach of immortality. Here the mother monkey is eating a peach, and the baby is trying to get it away from her. Soko's talents were at their zenith when he designed and carved this netsuke. (Enlargement: 2.1 times)
23. HORSE. Ivory with inlaid eyes. Signed: Kangyoku. Date: 1972. Horses have very sensitive stomachs and more often die of colic than of any other disease. When in pain, a horse often tries to bite its hind quarters or its tail, assuming the unnatural position here portrayed by Kangyoku. The flattened ears, bared teeth, bulging eyes, and contorted body in this skillfully carved netsuke clearly depict a suffering horse. Like most of Kangyoku's netsuke, this one combines contemporary design with the functional form and tactile qualities of antique netsuke. (Enlargement: 1.7 times)
24. HORSE AND GROOM. Wood. Signed: Sosui. Date: 1930-50. The horse is the symbol of the seventh year of the Oriental zodiac and is represented throughout Japanese art with a great variety of symbolic and legendary associations. Sosui's love of animals, and nothing more, seems to be conveyed by his simple figure of a horse being groomed by an attendant. (Enlargement: 1.9 times)
25. WHITE INARI FOX. Ivorv. Signed: Keiun. Date: 1965-70. Every local community in Japan has a shrine dedicated to the harvest god Inari. In front of most Inari shrines are the images of a pair of foxes regarded as messengers of the god. The beneficent white Inari fox, portrayed in this classic design by Keiun, is to be sharply distinguished from the evil field foxes and demoniac foxes often encountered in Japanese legends. (Enlargement: 1.5 times)
26. RABBIT. Ivory, Signed: Kangyoku. Date: 1971. This engaging rabbit netsuke was conceived by Kangyoku in a mood of free fantasy. It is a masterpiece of design and execution. The carving and finishing of the ivory have produced beauty and satisiying tactile qualities. The design is original and daring and has strong appeal, except to the most conservative traditionalists. (Enlargement: 1.4 times)
27. SHISHI. Ivory. Signed: Kangyoku. Date: 1971. This carving is Kangyoku's first excursion into the realm of the abstract. It proved to be eminently successful. The subject matter and functional form of the netsuke are completely orthodox, but the design is modern. Many netsuke collectors have been surprised but delighted with the bold, imaginative design of this shishi. (Enlargement:1.5 times)
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