Fine Antique Japanese Ivory Okimono
Wandering Samurai
Catch of The Day
Signature: Yoshi, Meiji, 19th Century
Recorded in Catalogue of the W.L. Berhrens
Collection, Henry L. Joly, London, 1922
h. 4.25 in.(11cm), w. 1.75 in.(4.5cm), d. 1.25 in.(3cm)
Condition: minor chip, cracklines

A fine Meiji carving expressing the pathos of a wandering Samurai, deprived of his calling, who wearily carries home a day’s catch, still holding his great sword, its use reduced to that of a fastener for his net. A Samurai’s sword represented his soul, therefore the Samurai were most displeased when they were forbidden from carrying their weapons in 1876, for the dissolution of feudal Japan left behind the extravagant panoply of the warrior class. Naturalistically carved and finished with a high hand polish, the work is distinguished by the excellent treatment of fabric which wraps convincingly around the body of the man, highlighting the rough strings of the net and the carefully rendered Samurai coiffure.

Private Collection