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Artist or Maker: Edo period (mid-late 18th century), signed Tsuji

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Description: A Wood Netsuke Edo period (mid-late 18th century), signed Tsuji Carved as the immortal Gama leaning on his staff and dressed in flowing robes and a cape of mugwort leaves, his three-legged toad on his shoulder; signature on the hem of the robe on the reverse 2 5/8in. (6.6cm.) high

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Notes: Tsuji of Osaka was considered to be one of the best netsuke artists of his time, warranting inclusion in the Soken Kisho. He was thought to have worked exclusively in wood and signed his work with a small, single character in an inconspicuous place without a reserve. For a very similar Gama sennin netsuke by the same artist (with later ivory additions) in the British Museum, see Henri Joly, Legends in Japanese Art (Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1967), p. 175, and another in the Irving Gould Collection, see Irving Gould, The Gould Collection of Netsuke (Hempstead: Michael B. Glass and Associates, Inc., 1987), pl. 51. For a detailed discussion on Tsuji, see Robert L. McGowen, "Tsuji", INCS Journal, vol. 9, no. 4, (1982), p.19.