Sleeping Cat Okimono with Concealed Shunga Scene, Painted Ceramic Bedside Figure, 17 cm
Sleeping Cat Okimono with Concealed Shunga Scene, Painted Ceramic Bedside Figure, 17 cm
- Dispatch
- Prepared and sent from Tokyo within 7–14 days, often sooner, or as arranged
- Arrival
- United States · 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 $64, 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
- Ornate 7.2 of 10 ·
- Replies
- Within one Tokyo business day · Ask the curator team
- Guarantee
- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
| Figure | cm | in |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 17.0 cm | 6.7 in |
| Height | 6.5 cm | 2.6 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
Very Good
- Giftable
- Mint
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Honest Wear
- As Found
A Cat That Keeps a Secret
Seen from above it is a contented house cat, eyes shut, chin on its paws and a red collar at its throat. Turned over, it opens onto a tiny painted room where two lovers lie together on a red ground. The joke is the whole point: a bedside companion that looks innocent until it is lifted.
Best for: Collectors of hidden-scene shunga objects and Japanese erotic folk art
Condition notes
Rubbing and small losses to the matte white ground from age, most visible on the back and rump. The rim of the hollow underside is uneven at one point, perhaps a firing irregularity or an old chip. No other damage is described.
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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A painted ceramic sleeping cat, curled with its chin on its paws, whose hollow underside conceals a small shunga scene of two lovers.
This piece belongs to the private room of the house and is shown to adults only.
The Piece
The dozing cat, made famous by the Nemuri-neko carving at the Nikko shrines, is a quiet Japanese emblem of peace. This figure borrows that innocence and plays with it, in the tradition of kakushi shunga, the hidden erotic picture placed where only its owner would look.
From above, all is calm: a white cat with grey patches, coral paws and tail, a pink bow and a red collar dotted with white. Turn it over and the body proves to be a shell. Inside, modelled in relief on a red ground, a woman with a dressed coiffure and a man with a topknot lie together, an intimate scene in the warai-e manner, where humour matters as much as desire.
Such bedside ornaments were objects of private amusement, painted freehand with the warmth of folk craft.
Details
- Subject: Sleeping cat concealing a hidden scene
- Genre: Kakushi shunga, erotic folk art
- Material: Painted ceramic body
- Height: 6.5 cm (2.6 in)
- Length: 17 cm (6.7 in)
- Maker: Unsigned, unknown maker
- Date: Undated
- Made in: Japan
Measured by hand; please allow a gentle margin of about 0.5 cm (0.2 in).
Condition
- Rubbing and small losses to the matte white ground from age, most visible on the back.
- The rim of the hollow underside is uneven at one point, perhaps a firing irregularity or an old chip.
- Every photograph is part of the description.
Condition grade B (very good) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Offered as an older Japanese hidden-scene figure, unsigned and undated; no maker or period is claimed. Dust with a soft dry brush and keep away from damp.
Delivery from Japan
Wrapped in tissue and foam, boxed with 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 published policy.
Considered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally. Further pieces of the kind are kept in Shunga and Hidden Arts and in our archive of prints and classical texts.
Concierge
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Collectors also search: hidden shunga okimono · sleeping cat erotic figure · Japanese pillow ornament
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