Japan, late 18th century
Ivory and horn
H. 7/8 in. (2.2 cm); W. 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Netsuke of a Plum Sparrow
An ivory sparrow, a name carved on its underside, and an artist line the museum left blank.
By archaeologyart · 2 min read · 8 images
Japan, late 18th century
Ivory and horn
H. 7/8 in. (2.2 cm); W. 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The kimono had no pockets. Men hung a medicine case or a tobacco pouch from the sash on a cord, and at its end they tied a carving small enough to fit in the palm (See image 2). This tiny sculpture, sitting on top of the sash, is called a netsuke.
This ivory sparrow is a netsuke too. It has nothing sticking out that could catch on silk. Its Japanese name is fukura suzume, ‘puffed-up sparrow’: a plump chick, or a sparrow fluffed up against the cold. The ‘fuku’ at the start of the word means good fortune in Japanese. So the puffed-up sparrow came to be seen as lucky, and it was worked into clothing and family crests.
Turn the sparrow over and, next to the two cord holes, an oval frame and a name appear: Masanao (See images 3-4). A book printed in Osaka in 1781 (See images 5-6) gives him a single line in its list of netsuke carvers: “From Kyoto. Ivory and wood alike, skilled at all of it. Deserves the highest praise”.
The Metropolitan Museum in New York recorded the signature but left the ‘artist’ line blank. It doesn’t say why, but there are plenty of reasons not to put too much faith in the signature.
The same book says the fakes of one Kyoto ox carver could be counted by the hundred, and that another carver’s imitations were circulating while he was still alive. Later, other carvers used the name Masanao too. An apprentice who could copy his master’s work exactly was considered a good one, and sometimes a piece he had carved was signed with the master’s name.
Whoever’s signature it is, the carver didn’t skip the details: the hatched patches behind the eyes sit exactly where Japan’s sparrow has its black cheek spot (See images 7-8).
The sparrow was donated to the museum in 1985. Its name at the museum is ‘Plum Sparrow’, yet it’s a Eurasian tree sparrow, and there’s no plum in the carving. Maybe a letter dropped out of ‘plump’, or maybe it’s a play on words.
The signature, Masanao · image 4
The images
- 1
Netsuke of a Plum Sparrow. Signed: Masanao. Japan, late 18th century. Ivory and horn. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. - 2
Inrō with Portuguese Figures, with a netsuke of a dog. Japan, late 18th to early 19th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. - 3
Netsuke of a Plum Sparrow (underside). Japan, late 18th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. - 4
Netsuke of a Plum Sparrow (detail: signature, Masanao). Japan, late 18th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. - 5
A Treasury of Sword Fittings and Rare Accessories (Sōken kishō), vol. 7. Inaba Tsūryū, Osaka, 1781. National Diet Library, Tokyo. - 6
Sōken kishō, vol. 7 (detail: the entry on Masanao). Inaba Tsūryū, Osaka, 1781. National Diet Library, Tokyo. - 7
Netsuke of a Plum Sparrow (detail: eye and cheek). Japan, late 18th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. - 8
Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus). Osaka, 2007.
Sources
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Netsuke of a Plum Sparrow, object record 1985.399.6.
- Inaba Tsūryū, Sōken kishō (A Treasury of Sword Fittings and Rare Accessories), vol. 7. Osaka, 1781. National Diet Library, Tokyo.
- Okada, Netsuke: Masterpieces from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1982.
- Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, entry “fukura suzume”.
