Manju Netsuke of Raijin the Thunder God among the Townsfolk, Deep Openwork Carving, Mammoth Tusk
Manju Netsuke of Raijin the Thunder God among the Townsfolk, Deep Openwork Carving, Mammoth Tusk
- Dispatch
- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
- Arrival
- Vereinigte Staaten · usually 4–7 days after dispatch, insured and tracked Check the Shipping Flowchart here
- Import
Duties and customs · View the estimate
A guide for this piece: about $246, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
The final figure is set by US Customs and depends on where the piece was made and the kind of object it is. Many antiques over a century old carry no ordinary duty; most jewellery and leather goods add a single-digit rate.
With EMS, any charge is collected by your postal service on delivery. For pieces of significant value we can often arrange duties prepaid before dispatch.
How the estimate is reached · Ask for a figure on this piece
- Character
- Resplendent 9.5 of 10 ·
- Replies
- Within one Tokyo business day · Ask the curator team
- Guarantee
- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
| Figure | cm | in |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 4.2 cm | 1.7 in |
| Height | 4.2 cm | 1.7 in |
| Depth | 1.8 cm | 0.7 in |
Every piece is measured by hand, in centimetres as Japan measures. Please allow 1–2 cm (about ½ inch) for the give of the material and the hand that held the tape.
Where each figure is taken · View the plate
Object, sculpture and ceramics
Condition report
Excellent
- Giftable
- Mint
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Honest Wear
- As Found
Thunder in the Marketplace
Technically the most demanding piece in the group: openwork of this depth leaves no room for a slip. It rewards a magnifying glass.
Best for: Collectors of manju and ryusa netsuke and of Edo popular imagery
Condition notes
No conspicuous marks recorded. Staining and ink engraving are bright, and the polish is even.
Grades, ratings and commentary are given to the best of our ability, knowledge and experience, and condition remains partly a matter of personal perception. What we stand behind without qualification is authenticity, truthful description and provenance, to the best of our knowledge. How we grade
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Considered offers only. The Desk replies personally to figures made in good faith; those set far below the asking price receive no reply.
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A bun-shaped manju netsuke hollowed into a crowded stage: Raijin the thunder god with his drums at the centre and the people of the floating world tumbling around him.
The Piece
Within a disc barely four centimetres across the carver has undercut more than a dozen figures in the round, so that light passes behind heads and elbows. Raijin, horned and grinning, holds the centre with a drum; around him townsmen, women and children react with every shade of fright and laughter. Each face is different and each is inked.
The reverse is domed and engraved with scattered cherry blossom in red and green around a raised ring that serves as the cord attachment. A red seal signature sits beside it.
Iconography and Meaning
Raijin beats his ring of drums to make thunder and is known to steal the navels of children who sleep uncovered. In popular art he is as much clown as deity, forever falling out of the sky into the bathhouse or the market, and the meeting of god and crowd is a favourite comic subject.
Western collectors have sought carvings like this since the opening of Japan, and the great cabinets formed then, now in the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert and the Metropolitan, set the taste that still governs the field: wit, finish, a subject with a story, and a form that is pleasing from every side. This piece answers on each count.
Details
- Type: Manju netsuke
- Subject: Raijin with a crowd of townspeople
- Material: Woolly mammoth tusk
- Technique: Hand carving, staining and ink engraving
- Colour: Ivory white with brown, red and green
- Length: 42 mm (1.7 in)
- Width: 18 mm (0.7 in)
- Height: 42 mm (1.7 in)
- Period: Contemporary, in the classical tradition
- Made in: Japan
Measured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 1 to 2 mm.
Condition
- No conspicuous marks, chips or repairs are noted.
- Staining and ink engraving are bright, and the polish is even.
- Every photograph is part of the description.
Condition grade A (excellent) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Carved by hand in Japan from the tusk of the woolly mammoth, an extinct species whose fossil tusk is not elephant ivory and is not listed under CITES. It is a contemporary work in the classical tradition, examined and photographed in Japan before dispatch. Rules on mammoth tusk differ between countries and, in the United States, between states; please confirm that it may be received at your address before you buy. Keep away from direct sun, dry heat and sudden changes of humidity, and handle with clean dry hands.
Delivery from Japan
Wrapped by hand in Japan in soft tissue and a rigid case, and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything you wish to know before you buy, and see our published policy.
Considered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally. More in Netsuke, Sagemono and Inro and Okimono, Figurines and Statues.
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