JOKA: A LACQUERED WOOD NETSUKE DEPICTING DAIKOKU AS A MANZAI DANCERBy a member of the Joka lineage, signed Joka 常嘉Japan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)The rectangular manju-style netsuke bearing an ishime ground, simulating lightly rusted iron, and lacquered in iro-e takamaki-e with a design of Daikoku as a Manzai dancer, holding a fan before his face. The back engraved with towering ferns imitating kebori metal engraving. Large, asymmetrical himotoshi through the back and signed in gold-lacquered characters JOKA.LENGTH 3.4 cmCondition: Excellent condition with only very minor wear.Provenance: Ex-collection Gretchen Kroch Kelsch, sold at Sotheby Parke Bernet, 11 March 1981, New York, lot 7. Ex-collection Ted Wrangham, acquired from the above. Edward A. ‘Ted’ Wrangham (1928-2009) formed one of the most important collections of Japanese Art in modern times. His reference book ‘The Index of Inro Artists’ (1995) is considered one of the most important English-language studies on Japanese lacquer ever published.Joka is listed on page 451, H 02141.0 in THE INDEX OF JAPANESE SWORD FITTINGS AND ASSOCIATED ARTISTS by Robert E. Haynes. The signature Joka indicated a group of artists who were active during the last two hundred years of the Edo period and into the Meiji period. There are various signatures and most artists are known for their lacquered metalwork and lacquerware imitating metalwork.