Antique Japanese Ivory Netsuke
Gamma Sennin
Holding Peach and Frog
Netsuke Signature: Unsigned, 18th - early 19th Century
h. 2.25 in.(5.5cm), w. 1 in.(2.5cm), d. 0.75 in.(2cm)
Condition: hairlines, usage worn

A classic netsuke, cream to gold in color, nicely marked with striations and layering, designed for daily use, free of projections or extraneous attachments, well worn from handling over time, and bearing a satin finish with burnished highlights and himotoshi on the back. Depicting the rustic immortal, Gama Sennin, a sage with magical knowledge of herbs and medicines. He is always accompanied by a three legged toad and he can assume the shape of a toad. He holds in his right hand one of the magical peaches of Seiobo, the Queen Mother of the West, who cultivates a garden of peach trees that blossom only once every thousand years, and whose peaches confer eternal life.