Japanese Carved Ivory Manju Netsuke
Chrysanthemum
Floral Motif
Signature: signed, Circa: 1900S'
H 2 in.(5cm), W 2 in.(5cm), D 0.75 in.(2cm)
Condition: excellent!

This regal chrysanthemum kagamibuta manju netsuke is a beautiful evocation of Japan’s imperial flower. For ten centuries the Nihonshoki, (the Chrysanthemum Throne) has featured a sixteen petal golden chrysanthemum as its emblem. The chrysanthemum, also known as the "Autumn Flower", is one of the four"honorable plants". The others are plum, orchid and bamboo all that are symbols of nobility. In China, chrysanthemums were cultivated in as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BCE. They have long been considered a curative and even an essential element in elixirs of longevity. The Chinese poet Qu Yuan (340-278 BC), in his poem "Li Sao" speaks of the deeply nourishing and curative properties of the chrysanthemum. Drink dew from the magnolia in the morning and take autumn chrysanthemum's falling petals as food in the evening. This Showa era netsuke provides a luscious, classic and highly detailed rendering of this quintessential flower.