Unsigned netsuke of Raijin
Circa 1860
Running over wispy clouds, Raijin swings his beater over his shoulder as he prepares to strike his thunder drum. He holds the drum by a looped handle, and the skin is emblazoned with a mitsutomo-e. The thunder god’s square-jawed face is set in an expression of grim, somewhat doleful, determination. He wears a tiger-skin loincloth and his hair falls in curls at his neck.
