East Asia, Japan, Meiji Period, ca. 1868 to 1912 CE. A finely-crafted and hand-sewn leather "tabako-ire" (tobacco pouch) with a front flap and two interior receptacles lined with light-brown fabric. The exterior of the pouch is decorated with an image of a komainu (literally "pony dog"), a mythical guardian animal which is believed to bring good fortune to those it protects. The head of the animal in on the front flap with white and blue pigment decorating the body and red pigment within the mouth, and the rest of the body extends onto the verso of the pouch. A circular, carved African elephant ivory kagamibuta (literally "mirror-lid") netsuke holds a nickel-brass medallion bearing a low-relief image of a second komainu, and the netsuke is bound to the pouch with a multi-stranded nickel-brass chain. A nickel-brass button clasp on the edge of the flap depicts a blooming lotus flower. Size (pouch w/ closed flap): 5.45" W x 3.55" H (13.8 cm x 9 cm); size (netsuke): 2" Diameter (5.1 cm).

African elephant ivory. The ivory on this item pre-dates 1900 and was acquired long before the 1970 ban on ivory trade. Please note that ivory from any species cannot be shipped to the US States of California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington State. As of 2019, ivory will not be permitted to be shipped to Illinois.

Provenance: private Southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid-1980s

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

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PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#141154

Light desiccation to leather components, fading to original pigmentation, with light tarnishing to nickel-brass components, and minor abrasions, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits throughout.