The Kura - Japanese Art Treasures

Robert Mangold has been working with Japanese antiques since 1995 with an emphasis on ceramics, Paintings, Armour and Buddhist furniture.

Incredible Antique Japanese Carved Wooden Image, Rakugo-shi


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Directory: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Japanese: Sculpture: Pre 1920: Item # 1477865
The Kura
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23 Murasakino Monzen-cho
Kita-ward Kyoto 603-8216
tel.81-75-201-3497
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sold, thank you

An amazing small wooden figure covered in with glass eyes made in the hyper-real likeness of a Rakugo-shi Comic storyteller, dressed I traditional Hakama trousers and seated on a large cushion clutching a fan in his right hand. It is 19 cm (7-1/2 inches) tall, while the cushion upon which he sits is 19.5 x 15.5 cm (just under 8 x 6 inches) and the figure is in excellent condition. There is what appears to be a signature on the bottom; Ta?Saku. This caring is very much in the audacious style of early works by artist Hirakushi Denchu, (b. 1872) and likely dates from the first quarter of the 20th century, although could go back into the final years of the 19th.
According to Wikipedia: Rakugo (literally 'story with a fall) is a form of Japanese verbal entertainment, traditionally performed in small theatres. The lone storyteller sits on a raised platform, a kōza using only a paper fan and a small cloth as props, and without standing up from the seiza sitting position, the rakugo artist depicts a long and complicated comical (or sometimes sentimental) story. The story always involves the dialogue of two or more characters. The difference between the characters is depicted only through change in pitch, tone, and a slight turn of the head.