Toshiyama Soko (1868-1935)
Osaka, circa 1910
An okimono of a small head of radish greens. The pinnatifid outer leaves with small holes eaten away. while the inner foliage still forms a tight head. A large cricket rests inside an outer frond.
Carved in extremely fine detail, the rough spiny texture of the delicate limbs is suggested by the notched carving. The insect’s antennae are in buffalo horn and the cut stem of the vegetable is rendered in ittobori.
Bushell notes (Collectors’ Netsuke) that the work of Toshiyama Soko is often confused with that of his contemporary, Morita Soko by Western collectors. He points out that although they both use the long o for So-, the former uses the long ko- character: 晃,while the latter has a short ko 己.
