Ɏ JUGYOKU: A TOKYO SCHOOL IVORY NETSUKE OF JUROJIN RIDING A BIRDBy Jugyoku, signed JugyokuJapan, Tokyo, Meiji period (1868-1912)Well-carved as the lucky god holding his gnarled cane and fan, wearing a long robe incised with cloud designs and diapered patterns, seated atop a large bird with neatly incised wings and eyes inlaid with mother-of-pearl, the underside with two asymmetrical wood-ringed himotoshi and the signature JUGYOKU within a red lacquer-inlaid square plaque.WIDTH 4.2 cmCondition: Excellent condition with minor wear and expected age cracks. Fine honey-brown patina.Provenance: French private collection.The bird carved in the present netsuke combines elements associated with ducks (the overall position of the bird) and sparrows (the short beak). It appears to be at least partly inspired by the story of the Tongue-Cut Sparrow (Shita-kiri Suzume), a traditional Japanese fable telling of a kind old man, his avaricious wife and an injured sparrow.Trade Certificate:The trade certificate for the sale of this lot within the EU has been granted (permit number AT 22-B-0113).This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.