A pair of rikishi locked in a grim struggle

A pair of rikishi locked in a grim struggle, the larger of the two squatting as he attempts to lever his opponent up by his mawashi (belt), confident of his superior hold and strength. The smaller man, not to be thwarted, has hooked one foot inside the knee of the other and has secured a grip at the back on his mawashi as he prepares to execute the kawazugake and topple his foe with a backward leg trip to win the bout.

Signed: Ittan Sanjin (man of the mountains, denoting a rustic taste)

Height: 5.8cm

Provenance:
Robert L. Green collection
Michel Eddé collection
Karl-Ludwig Kley collection

Published:
Eskenazi Ltd., Japanese netsuke formerly in the collection of Robert L. Greene, London 1973, no. 31
Wilhelm, G., Netsuke Collection Michel Eddé, 1998, no. 147
Rokusho, Japan, 2000, vol. 6, p.8, no. 10
Bandini, R., Tiny Titans, London 2006, p. 20, no. 8