Erotic Mammoth Ivory Netsuke Ensemble, Bathing Woman with Wooden Tub & Concealed Shunga Element

A kneeling bather in mammoth ivory, a carved wooden tub and a concealed ivory element make up this multi-part netsuke ensemble. Modest at first glance and erotic only to the informed handler, it is a compact study in the Japanese art of suggestion, preserved intact with its original vessel and cord.

The Piece

This multi-component erotic netsuke ensemble combines a kneeling female figure with a carved wooden bathing tub and a concealed ivory element. Rather than overt display, it works through implication, humor and concealment, in the Edo-derived shunga logic that embeds sexuality within everyday domestic scenes.

Bathing women (yuyoku-bi, yuagari-onna) are a long-standing subject in Japanese visual culture, representing vulnerability, sensuality and the threshold between public and private. The figure's modest pose, with lowered gaze and bent knees, contrasts deliberately with the hidden erotic component, in the tradition of ura-shunga: art that reveals itself only to the informed or curious handler. The tub serves as both narrative prop and concealment device; in Japanese erotic folk art, containers such as boxes, barrels and tubs often mark the boundary between restraint and release. Pleasure here is not crude but clever, situational and human.

The ivory carving handles small-scale anatomy with confidence: smooth limb transitions, balanced proportions and a warm, translucent polish consistent with hand-finished work. The detachable ivory component is carved to the same standard, indicating intentional ensemble production rather than later pairing, while the tub shows careful grain orientation and carved banding, suggesting workshop familiarity with traditional netsuke accessories rather than novelty manufacture.

In the Showa period, especially the postwar decades, skilled artisans revisited Edo motifs in private production runs, and erotic netsuke survived because they were portable, discreet and collectible. Multi-part ensembles are less common than single-figure carvings, as they required more labor and were easily separated over time, making intact examples increasingly scarce; the inclusion of the original wooden vessel adds significantly to this one. It will speak to collectors of erotic netsuke and ivory miniatures, shunga-inspired folk sculpture, interactive Japanese art objects and mammoth ivory carving.

Details

• Object: Erotic netsuke-scale figural ensemble with accessory vessel (concealed shunga, bathing motif)
• Era: Likely late Showa period (circa 1960s–1980s), informed by Edo-period shunga and bathing-woman iconography
• Origin: Japan
• Material: Keratinized mammoth ivory (ke-naga mammoth tusk) figure and detachable element; carved and stained wood vessel; cord binding
• Measurements: Approx. 38 mm (H) × 33 mm (W) × 65 mm (D) overall, assembled
• Included: Kneeling ivory figure, detachable ivory element, original wooden tub, original cord

Condition

• Excellent condition.
• Smooth ivory polish with even patina; no visible cracks or restorations.
• Wooden vessel clean and intact; cord original and functional.

Authenticity & Care

The detachable ivory element matches the figure in material and finish, indicating the ensemble was made together rather than assembled later; late Showa dating is a stylistic attribution. Every piece is examined and documented in Japan before dispatch and is offered with the Japonista authenticity guarantee.

Delivery from Japan

Packed by hand in Japan and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Returns follow our published policy.

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