This superb carving by Masatoshi offers a view of unrestrained yet tender sensuality. A work of explicit romanticism, the glossy ivory displays the artist’s command of the figure, with a landscape of bare limbs complemented by the two crisply patterned garments beneath the lovers, the man‘s jacket embracing the woman‘s kimono. The hair and features are delicately etched, a single touch of red on the woman’s lips. The mood of the moment extends to the pair of frogs at their feet. The netsuke is perfectly balanced and can be set down firmly on any side.

The back of the piece is as meticulous as the front, with patterns punctuated by ukibori in the fabric design. In his book, The Art of Netsuke Carving, (Kodansha 1981), Masatoshi tells of the technique for making the raised dots called ukibori, a painstaking process involving several steps to create the effect. “Masatoshi…is the complete artist in the many sided sense of a Picasso…a great creative carver regardless of period or place…a single netsuke may require 175 hours for completion.”--Bushell

There are few, if any, duplications in Masatoshi‘s oeuvre. He was disinclined to repeat himself, saying, “My second version will lack the spirit of the original.” Therefore it can be said that any netsuke by Masatoshi is a unique work of art. Living simply, he carved at night when his household was asleep, never sketching ahead of time, but working out the design in his head before taking up his knife. He is indisputably one of the most important 20th century netsukeshi, and an artist who remained true to his vision, never failing to give his finest attention to each piece.

For more information please read: The Art of netsuke Carving by Masatoshi and Raymond Bushell. --R.W.