Japanese Bone Netsuke of Kappa Riding a Catfish, Meiji Period

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Description

A finely modeled Japanese netsuke depicting a mischievous kappa clinging to a catfish. Carved from an early ivory-substitute material, likely … Read more A finely modeled Japanese netsuke depicting a mischievous kappa clinging to a catfish. Carved from an early ivory-substitute material, likely a casein or composite resin, and finished by hand with crisp detailing. The expressive facial features, carefully incised texturing, and dynamic composition reflect late Meiji to early Taishō period workmanship, when folkloric subjects were rendered with both humor and sculptural sophistication. A characterful piece, ready to bring wit and storytelling to your collection.

COLLECTOR'S NOTE
In Japanese folklore, the kappa is a mischievous water spirit associated with rivers and trickery, while the namazu (catfish) symbolizes powerful and unpredictable natural forces, including floods and earthquakes. Netsuke pairing these figures often carried a humorous or satirical undertone, suggesting imbalance or the illusion of control over nature. This subject appears in late Edo through Meiji-period visual culture and was especially popular during the Meiji era, when traditional themes were reinterpreted for a growing domestic and export collector market.
This example is signed to the underside 松之 (Matsu-no), a traditional two-character artisan mark commonly encountered on late Meiji to early Taishō period netsuke and generally understood to indicate a workshop or individual carver rather than a documented master. The piece is executed in an early ivory-substitute material, likely a period casein or composite resin, a historically accurate alternative used at the time and finished by hand to achieve an ivory-like surface. Together, the subject, signature, and material are fully consistent with netsuke production of the late 19th to early 20th century. See less