A RARE AND VERY FINE MINIATURE WOOD OKIMONO NETSUKE OF TWO ONI AND A SKELETON (GAIKOTSU)UnsignedJapan, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)Depicting an oni wrestling a skeleton (gaikotsu) while another oni, leaning against an iron club, plays the referee. The details are minutely carved with extraordinary detail. Singular bone-ringed himotoshi through the square base.HEIGHT 2.7 cmCondition: Excellent condition.Provenance: Ex-collection Irene Segeler, Zurich. Irene Segeler specialized in collecting tiny children’s netsuke, acquiring over 80 examples, which is quite remarkable as they are exceptionally rare. A few pieces from her collection are illustrated in Children’s Netsuke (2001), The International Netsuke Society Journal (INSJ), vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 26-30.