{"product_id":"painted-clay-hotei-figure-hidden-shunga-scene-black-gold-robe-tsuchi-ningyo","title":"Painted Clay Hotei Figure with a Hidden Shunga Scene Beneath, Black and Gold Robe, 27 cm Tsuchi Ningyo","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"jp-product\" data-world=\"Japan Luxury Archive\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"jp-lede\"\u003eA laughing Hotei in painted clay, robed in black and gold and leaning on his pale blue sack, who tips over to reveal a pair of lovers modelled in relief in the hollow beneath.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"jp-note\"\u003eThis piece belongs to the private room of the house and is shown to adults only.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Piece\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHotei is the most genial of the Seven Lucky Gods: the wandering monk of contentment, bald and broad, with a great bare belly and a cloth sack that never empties. Here he sits cross-legged and at ease, one hand raised, his robe slipped from his shoulders. The modelling is full of character, from the heavy brows and painted beard to the fine hair on his chest, and the black robe is worked with flowing gold scrollwork and bordered in red and ochre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe figure keeps a secret. Its underside is hollowed into a green leaf-shaped frame, and inside it a couple lies together on a pink quilt: a beauty with a dressed coiffure and red hair ornament, and her partner in a blue robe patterned with white crosses. This is the ura-e, the hidden picture, a running joke of Japanese erotic art in which a god of good fortune, a doll or a sake cup shows a second, private face. Such figures were kept as bawdy good luck charms and shown to friends with a laugh.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eDetails\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"jp-details\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSubject:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hotei, one of the Seven Lucky Gods, with his sack\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eForm:\u003c\/strong\u003e Seated figure with a hidden scene modelled beneath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/strong\u003e Painted clay (tsuchi ningyo), as described\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e About 27 cm (10.6 in)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDepth:\u003c\/strong\u003e About 24 cm (9.4 in)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e About 15 cm (5.9 in)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMaker:\u003c\/strong\u003e Unsigned; no maker or date is claimed\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMade in:\u003c\/strong\u003e Japan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeasured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 1 cm (0.4 in).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCondition\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNo cracks or chips.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSome soiling and small areas of paint loss, including a few white flecks on the black robe; every photograph is part of the description.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCondition grade \u003cstrong\u003eB (very good, light wear)\u003c\/strong\u003e on the Japanese scale; see \u003ca href=\"\/es\/blogs\/news\/japanese-condition-ranks-explained\"\u003eJapanese condition ranks, explained\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAuthenticity \u0026amp; Care\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOffered as a painted clay folk figure; unsigned and undated, and no maker or age is claimed. Keep dry, out of direct sun, and dust gently with a soft brush.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eDelivery from Japan\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWrapped by hand in Japan, double boxed with generous cushioning, 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 \u003ca href=\"\/es\/policies\/refund-policy\"\u003epublished policy\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"jp-closing\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eConsidered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally. Further pieces of the kind are kept in \u003ca href=\"\/es\/collections\/shunga-hidden-arts\"\u003eShunga and Hidden Arts\u003c\/a\u003e and among our \u003ca href=\"\/es\/collections\/japanese-dolls-ningyo\"\u003eJapanese dolls\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"jp-cta\" data-world=\"Japan Luxury Archive\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"jp-cta-eyebrow\"\u003eConcierge\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSearching for other lucky gods or folk figures with hidden scenes? Our Hunting Salon™ locates such pieces across Japan's private collector circles, then inspects, documents and delivers them to you. \u003ca href=\"\/es\/pages\/hunting-salon%E2%84%A2\"\u003eBegin a Hunting Salon™ request\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"jp-search\"\u003eCollectors also search: Hotei shunga figure · hidden scene clay doll · ura-e lucky god okimono\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown Maker","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54483863470373,"sku":"JP-CL-J1245190459","price":235.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0758\/8829\/6229\/files\/hotei-clay-hidden-01.jpg?v=1794593366","url":"https:\/\/japonista.com\/es\/products\/painted-clay-hotei-figure-hidden-shunga-scene-black-gold-robe-tsuchi-ningyo","provider":"Japonista","version":"1.0","type":"link"}