MIWA: A FINE WOOD NETSUKE OF TWO SHISHIMAI PERFORMERSBy Miwa, signed Miwa 三輪 with kakihanJapan, Edo (Tokyo), first half of 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Finely carved as a group of two shishimai performers, one in the back sitting upright and wearing an Okame mask behind his head, his face minutely incised with a jovial expression. The other performer is hidden within the shishimai costume, his remarkably well-carved face hidden within the jaws of the lion head, the eyes of the mask double-inlaid in bone and dark wood. Very large, generously excavated himotoshi underneath and signed MIWA with a typical square seal-shaped kakihan.HEIGHT 2.9 cmCondition: Very good condition with minor wear and traces of use around the himotoshi. Good patina.Provenance: From the collection of Gaston Lazard (1878-1956) and his wife Jane Levy (1886-1985) and thence by descent within the same family.The Shishimai festival was imported from China during the Tang dynasty and is celebrated during the New Year to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits.Literature comparison:Compare to two closely related wood netsuke, by Miwa, illustrated in Arakawa, Hirokazu (1983) The Go Collection of Netsuke. Tokyo National Museum, pp. 102-105, nos. 188 & 192.