Oni netsuke - Unsigned

A burly oni winces with one eye closed as moxa burns painfully on his muscular calf. His clenched claws are braced against his leg as he resists the urge to intervene in the treatment. A small black inlay indicates that his left leg has also been subjected to the moxa’s healing powers.

The wood is burnished, the thick tresses of his hair and the tiger-skin pattern of his skirt softened with use.

Height: 3.8 cm

Provenance:
Leonard M. Weisman collection
Gay Courter collection