Antique Japanese Ivory Okimono
Dance
With Rooster
Signature: Kogyoku, circa: Meiji, early 20th century
H 3 in.(7.5cm), W 2 in.(5cm), D 1.25 in.(3cm)
Condition: age cracks, o.a. very good

Here a farmer tries to catch a rooster that has excitedly flown up onto a tree stump. The man is dressed in traditional farmer’s clothes, wearing a manju netsuke, and he is holding two sticks, standing on one foot appeared to be in dancing steps. The farmer vital countenance expresses gentle joy and amusement. His clothes are rendered with simplicity, but attentive to the natural folds and soft falls of the cloth. In contrast, the rooster's feathers are finely rendered. He is at ease and elegantly turning his head glancing at the farmer sideways. Their sculptural movement has masked over a highly complex composition. The dynamic pair express a joyous contentment, a simple life rendered in rich moments.

This late Meiji era ivory okimono is a wonderful example of the depiction of the mise-en-scenes from common life that became very popular during the Meiji era in the late 19th and early 20th century.The artist Kogyoku is a prolific and superb carver. The okimono is signed on a coral reserve at the base of the figures. The ivory is cream white and moist. Excluding a hair line crack on the right foot, the okimono is in very good condition.