A SUPERB SHIBAYAMA-INLAID WOOD OKIMONO OF EGUCHI NO KIMI

A SUPERB SHIBAYAMA-INLAID WOOD OKIMONO OF EGUCHI NO KIMI
Unsigned
Japan, Tokyo, Meiji period (1868-1912)
Superbly carved and embellished with magnificent Shibayama-style inlays of buffalo horn, mother-of-pearl, coral, malachite, tortoiseshell, metal, and variously stained bone, depicting the courtesan Eguchi no Kimi with sensitively crafted facial features, riding on top of an elephant, her hair arranged in an elegant topknot and mounted with a tiara, dressed in beautifully flowing loosely fitted robes, and reading from a long scroll.
HEIGHT 6.3 cm
Condition: Very good condition, minor wear, one tiny inlay to the saddle lost.
According to legend, Kimi was a courtesan in the village of Eguchi and was so devoted to Buddhist scripture that she became the incarnation of Fugen Bosatsu (Boddhisattva Samantabhadra). The imagery satirizes the Buddhist bodhisattva Fugen (Samantabhadra), whose mount is the elephant, by replacing the deity with a beautifully coiffed modern courtesan. Such a visual pun (mitate) was an artistic trope, popular in the Edo period.
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