A WOOD NETSUKE REFERENCING OTA DOKAN Unsigned Japan, late 18th to early 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) A wood netsuke depicting a straw hat, a sickle and a bundle of yamabuki flowers (yellow wild rose, kerria japonica), all carved on top of a finely incised mino (straw raincoat). The details are finely rendered, and the underside is pierced with large asymmetrical himotoshi. The netsuke references a legend where Ota Dokan, a daimyo who died in 1486, was caught in a storm and was forced to build a shelter, asking a nearby girl to loan him a mino. Instead she brought him a bundle of yamabuki flowers, signifying by using a clever pun that she has no mino (as mino also means seed, and the double-petaled yamabuki bears no seed). LENGTH 4.5 cm Condition: Excellent condition. Provenance: European collection. Auction comparison: A similar netsuke was offered at Quinn's Auction Galleries, The Mang Collection of Japanese Netsuke, 7 December 2012, Falls Church, lot 555 (estimate 2.000-2.500 USD).