The Helen & Jack Mang Collection of Netsuke

By Tomin, School of Minko, Tsu, Late 18th century. Seated, looking up with her tail curled around to rest under her hands, her scales and flowing ha

By Tomin, School of Minko, Tsu, Late 18th century. With rolling eyes carved of ivory that has been stained red at the back of the eyeballs and in c

By Tomin, School of Minko, Tsu, Late 18th century. Holding the rabbit in its claws, the eyes of the former inlaid in brass with ebony pupils. Signed

Inscribed Chikusen, Tsu, Late 19th century. Standing, carved entirely from red and yellow Guri lacquer. Inscribed on the underside, Chikusen.2 3/8i

By Hasegawa Ikko, Tsu, Early 19th century. Approximately twenty kinds of fish including bream, carp, skate, sunfish, octopus, squid, crayfish, eel,

By Hasegawa Ikko, Tsu, Early 19th century. Entangled atop a peasant hat, the cat wearing a braided rope collar, nicely patinated and with a large h

Masanao, Yamada, Mid 19th century. five turtles climbing atop one another, the leathery skin naturalistically carved, the finish a warm brown with

By Masanao I or II, Yamada, Mid 19th century. Seated and turning to the right with its mouth open and its tail curling round beneath, the stripes a

By Masanao I or II, Yamada, Mid 19th century. Wrestling with each other, with floppy ears and well defined claws on the paws, good hair-work and ni

By Masanao II or Shawaw(III?), Yamada, Mid 19th century. Comprised of three larger and two smaller fungi, the larger with gills on their undersides,

By Masanao III or II, Yamada, Early 20th century. The orbital sockets of skull are pierced by the coils of the snake, eyes inlaid in black, the pit

By Shawa Masanao, Yamada, Mid 19th century. Coiling upon itself to form a compact rectangular pyramid, the scales are carved in high relief and the

Attributed to Shawa Masanao, Yamada, Mid 19th century. Emerging from its shell as it sits upon a millstone, the rough texture of its foot somewhat

Attributed to Shawa Masanao or III. Yamada, Mid 19th century. Sitting on an old well bucket lthat lays on its side, the underside nicely carved to

Attributed to Shinpuken Masanao, Yamada, Mid 19th century. Sitting on a millstone, eyes inlaid in black. Signed on the underside without reserve, M

Attributed ot Shinto Masanao, Yamada, Mid 19th century. Opening the casket given to him by Otohime, the daughter of the Dragon King, which resulted

School of Masanao, Yamada, Late 19th century. Sitting on a wooden scoop, the nailheads inlaid in dark horn, simulated age cracks on the side of the

Yamada, 19th century. The first, an ivory depiciton of a brigand standing with his right foot raised and resting on a rock, his garment bears the m

By Masakiyo, Yamada, Mid 19th century. With one paw to his ear and another holding his nose while the tail wraps around his body, he hair-work is b

Attributed to Isshinsai Masamitsu II, Yamada, Mid 19th century. Seated with his front hands clasped over his right knee while he gazes upwards, with

School of Masanao, Yamada, Early 19th century. Reclining, head turned slightly to the left, the eyes inlaid in black. Smoothly finished and with a

By Masatada, Yamada, Mid 19th century. The half of the nut above the joint has been carved to simulate the surface of an old iron tea kettle while

By Masakatsu (d.1899), Yamada, Mid 19th century. The beasts four feet are shown with claws, seemingly copied from the drawing of the same in the Ho

By Masakatsu (d.1899), Yamada, Late 19th century. Wrestling with each other, a well-balanced composition with fine hair-work, double-inlaid eyes of

By Masakatsu (d.1899), Yamada, Late 19th century. Seated with one knee raised, she holds a bamboo staff in her left hand and a bag in her right, wh

Attributed to Chikuzenya Masakazu, Yamada, Mid 19th century. Comprising three large and several smaller buds, the gills are finely carved and darkl

May be Chikuzenya Masakazu, Mid 19th century. The first, a wood manju of narasumi, charcoal for use in tea ceremony, seen as a cross-section of wood

By Shojuken Masatomo, Yamada, Mid 19th century. Silver snail on front side. Signed on the top edge, Masatomo, plus a third character. The bottom ed

By Kano Tomokazu, Gifu, Early 19th century. Sitting with its tail curled underneath while clutching a chestnut with its front paws, eyes inlaid wit

By Kano Tomokazu, Gifu, Early 19th century. The claw is severed at the ankle, the small creature writhing in a terrified manner to escape, the eyes

By Kano Tomokazu, Gifu, Early 19th century. Shoki trapped under a basket by an oni, the eyes of the Oni inlaid in black, those of Shoki are in ivory

By Kano Tomokazu, Gifu, Early 19th century. Sitting licking his left front paw while his tail curls beneath him and between his other legs, eyes in

By Kano Tomokazu, Gifu, Mid 19th century. Perched on a branch, eyes double-inlaid in grey horn with black pupils, on either side is a stump from whi

Attributed to Masakazu, Gifu or Nagoya, Early 19th century. The first, a mask of an Exorcist, the nose large and upturned, the mouth in a downward

Inscribed Tomokazu, Gifu, Early 19th century. Snarling, twisting its head around, pupils inlaid in black, good hair-work reinforced with black ink,

Inscribed Tomokazu, Early 19th century. Gentoku (Liu Pei) on horseback riding over the waves as he makes his escape through the Hwang Ho river gorg

By Matsuda Sukenaga, Suketomo, Early 19th century. Shoki kneeling on an Oni and holding him down with his left hand, his right holding his sword in

By Sukeyuki, Suketomo, 19th century. The first, a sparrow with eyes inlaid in black and effective use of the dark and light colors of the ichii wood

By Shoko, Hida, Mid 19th century. Beshimi playing the kamifuki game, the two sides of the crossbar are finished with recessed borders, the insides o

By Shimizu Sekisen 1st, Gifu, Late 19th century. A Bizenyaki mask of Beshimi, finished with a copper glaze and silver eyes. Impressed seal on the c

By Nobukazu, Early 19th century. Breaking out of its egg with left arm and wing extending out of egg, himotoshi of unequal size on the underside. S

Toyomasa style, Mid 19th century. Standing in his mugwart cape with a toad sitting on his right shoulder, his right arm reaches across his body to

Namboku style, School of Toyomasa, Mid 19th century. The eyes inlaid in dark horn, the hair-work deeply carved, the himotoshi large and well-placed

By Koichi, School of Toyomasa, Early 19th century. Fighting over a bunch of biwa fruit, the hair-work boldly carved and the eyes double inlaid in d

By Toyokazu, School of Toyomasa, Early 19th century. The eye inlaid with pale horn, the densely etched feathers on the front darkened in contrast t

By Toyokazu, School of Toyomasa, Mid 19th century. The mother crouching and turning her head to the left to gaze at her cub who also crouches with i

By Masahide, Early 19th century. Paws resting on a large bamboo shoot, showing his right side with his head turned back over his shoulder. Stripes

Inscribed Masahide, Toyomasa school, Late 18th century. Thin face with large open mouth cut through to the back with tongue sticking out, large fla

By Sari, Iwashiro, Late 18th century. The snail on top of the snake which has the frog caught in its coils making the frog's face bulge, the d...

By Hidari Issan, Iwashiro, Mid 19th century. Two seated in close proximity to each other, one facing away and the other forward, the third one on t