Antique Ivory Netsuke w/ Umimatsu Inlays
Tanuki
Transforming into Tea Kettle
Netsuke Signature: Tomokazu,
Unconfirmed. Attributed to early 1900s'
H 2 in.(5cm.), W 2.5 in.(6.3cm.), D 1 in.(2.5cm.)
Condition: Excellent

A pitted iron tea kettle with a lid and rings, a badger’s head growing out of the front of the kettle and its tail out of the back, representing the story of Bunbuku chagama in which the badger was rescued from some cruel boys by a poor junk dealer. In return for his kindness the badger offers a favor. The junk dealer asks the badger to transform himself into a tea kettle, which he sells to a local temple. A novice monk takes the kettle to the river and begins to scour it with sand, at which the kettle cries out “It hurts!” When the kettle is put on to boil, the badger resumes its real shape and scurries away. The story is said to date back to the Oei era (1294-1428) and to have originated with a magical kettle belonging to the temple Morinji in Kozuke Province, giving rise to many versions.

This example is perhaps a rendering of the moment in the story when the kettle has been put on the fireand the badger is caught between loyalty and panic. His bulging eyes are inlaid coral; the radiating lines of his whiskers and fur add to the caricature-like portrayal. Incongruously, a money bag is tied around the bagder’s neck, no doubt a feature in one of the versions of the story.