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About the artist
Author name in the “a” column
・Kōmei Ishikawa (1852-1913)
Born in Asakusa, Edo, to a family of palace carvers, his real name was Fujitaro.Studied carving under Masamitsu Kikukawa. His outstanding workmanship made him a major figure in the Meiji period sculpting world.
・Ikkan
A Nagoya master craftsman from the Kaei period (mid-19th century). Wood carving of figures and animals. He is primarily known for “sleeping Shojo” and rats.
・Ikkyu
Medium-term. He makes both wood and tusk carvings.
・Ikkō
Medium-term. He carved mostly wood.
・Ikkei
Medium-term. He became a woodcarver under the name of Seisensai.
・Ittan (Bakumatsu-Meiji Period).
Named Ittanfu or Kyouryusai, he was a Samurai of the Toba domain but later lived in Nagoya and Gifu, where he carved Netsuke of people and animals. He was also especially good at the sleeping Shojo subject.
・Eiko (early 18th century).
Mainly wood carving.
・Issai Ogasawara (late 18th century).
A Netsuke maker from Kishu. His carvings are delicate, often in marine ivory, and some of them are inscribed.
・Okatomo
Before the Temmei era, he lived in Higashiyama, Kyoto, and carved Netsuke using ivory or wood. Okatomo’s Netsuke have a soft feeling, and he excelled at chestnuts, quails, and monkeys.
・Okatori
Brother of Okatomo. He specialized in animals in ivory. He was born around Tenmei Kansei (late 18th century)
Author name in the “ka” column
・Kaigyokusai Masatsugu
Bakumatsu-Meiji, Osaka.Born as the eldest son of Kihei Shimizu, he was adopted into the Yasunaga family, but took over the Shimizu family name after his biological father’s death.He is known as a master of the netsuke world for his realistic wood carvings and tusk carvings, his choice of the best materials, and his fine, precise, powerful, and dignified works.He was named “Kaitokudo” until he was about 20, “Shoji” until he was about 30, “Kaitama” until he was about 50, and “Kaitokusai Shoji” thereafter.Bunka 10 – Meiji 25 (1813～1892)
・Kageto
Master Craftsman of the Middle Ages.He lived in Nagoya (or Kyoto, according to one theory) and was skilled in both wood carving and tusk carving, specializing in intricate openwork.
・Gado
Born in Takamatsu City in 1888, he later moved to Osaka.Many made teapots with wood and bamboo carvings, and sometimes netsuke as well.
・Garaku
Around An’ei (late 18th century), Osaka.His nickname was Risuke, and he carved animals into tusks.
・Kyokusai
Latter term.He made wood carvings of hermits, Kannon, and other figures in the style of miniature sketches.
・Gyokumin
Is he the same person as “Tamamimin”?Details unknown.Medium-term.
・Gechu
Osaka before Temmei (1781-89).Imaginary beasts such as baku and kylin are powerfully represented by carved tusks.
・Kogetsu
He was born around Tempo (1830-44).He is said to have been skillful in creating sketchy wood carvings.
・Kokei
He has made many animals using wood engraving. He is especially good at making tigers, and his Tora-kei tigers are well known throughout the world.The backs of animals are especially beautiful.He was born in Anoda, Suzuka-gun, Ise, studied techniques in Kameyama, and later lived in Kuwana, where he adopted the style of the Minjiang River as his ideal and added his own style to it, inscribing his works in the Minjiang River style.He was born around the time of the Temmei Kansei era (1789-1844)
Author name in the “sa” column
・Sari
He was born in the Tenmei Kansei period.He produced simple, textured wood carvings of animals, insects, and shells, and was especially good at toad frogs and clam shells.
・Sanko
Before Tenmei, he lived in Osaka.Call himself Kohei.
・Sanshou
People from Osaka.Wada Genjiro later changed his name to Yataro.He was named Torakesai.Became a student of Dosho and became proficient in wood carving and tusk carving.Meiji 4 years – Showa 11 years (1871 to 1936)
・Shigemasa
Kansei and Bunsei-ha (late 18th century – first half of 19th century)He made figures and animals in wood carving tusk carving and specialized in cochlea.
・Shuzan
Lived in Echigo around Tenmei Kansei.He made netsuke carved from wood of figures, the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, masks, etc.
・Shuzan
In the late Edo period, Shuzan specialized in netsuke with figures such as hermits and apes, using a technique of carving and coloring fine and unique patterns on yellowish-yellow wood.Works of art such as a kamidana and Buddhist altar can also be seen.He is a different person from Shuzan Yoshimura, an 18th century painter who produced colored netsuke (all his works are unmarked), and Kurobei, who is said to have imitated the style of Shuzan Yoshimura, and his style is completely different.
・Shumin
A student of Funatsuki III. His name was Masashi. He made figures, birds, animals, etc. in wood engraving.
・Jugyoku
He was born around Kaei (mid-19th century).He was a student of Ryusai and went by the name Chounsai.There is another student of SATSUYAKU who is called “Ryukosai” and uses the name “Jutama”.
・Shugetsu
Lived in Osaka around Meiwa (1764-72).He was named Higuchi, and was awarded the rank of Hogan for his proficiency in the Kano school of painting.He was also skilled at making netsuke, which were highly prized by the public.Later, he moved to Edo (present-day Tokyo) and opened a doll store, which was well received, but he was expelled from Edo (present-day Tokyo) when he started making Shikikinden-type dolls and moved back to Osaka to make netsuke.He specializes in netsuke masks, especially those of Ofuku.The first pupil took the name of the second generation Funatsuki in Edo, and his descendants have continued the business for generations.
・Shounsaijoryu
The wood engravings are few, but all are outstanding.Most netsuke are of human figures, and animal designs are extremely rare.He was born after the Temmei era and around the Kansei era.MCI has a detailed description.Is the family name Maeda? There is a description in “Netsuke no Kenkyu” (A Study of Netsuke).
・Shouko
Netsuke maker in Tokyo in the Showa period.Joined Mo Kami’s school and learned his master’s style.
・Josou
Real name Seitaro Miyazaki.He studied under the netsuke master Saito Ikkosai Takami and became famous for his netsuke and smoking pipe carvings.Along with Koun and Komei, he was a major figure in the Meiji sculpture world, and his students included Moya, Moki, and Tamamo.Ansei 2 – Meiji 43（1855～1910）
・Suketada
Early netsuke maker.He is skilled at carving wooden masks and netsuke.
・Sukenaga
Founder of Hida Itto-bori carving.Around Bunsei (1818-30).He studied under Ryozo Yoshida and carved yew wood sculptures.
・Soko
A master craftsman of the modern era whose exquisite precision has no equal.Born in Hongo, Tokyo in 1879 as the son of Masatoshi Morita, a metal engraver.His name is Kisaburo.He joined the school of Miyazaki Nyoromo and added the style of two master craftsmen, Hozane and Kaitokusai, to his teacher’s swordsmanship, making netsuke with wooden tusks that were either carved or skillfully painted.In later years, he also dabbled in the production of very small Buddhist statues.
Author name in the “ta” column
・Takusai
Bakumatsu – Meiji.A person from Suwa, Shinshu.His name is Tomitane, also known as Senshiro.Tomimune’s grandfather went to Edo to study under Mohei Tachikawa, then returned to his hometown to start his own business, which was succeeded by his father Tomimasa II and Tomitane III.Takkusai is a title.
・Tadatoshi
A Nagoya engraver from the Tenmei Kansei period.He was skilled at making netsuke of people, birds, animals, fish and shellfish, and masks.
・Tametaka
A master craftsman considered the founder of the Nagoya school.Born before the Temmei era (1781-89). Called Kita Kiemon.He established his own unique style by carving wooden figures and netsuke with embossed crests on their robes and other objects. He was a heavy drinker and had many eccentricities.
・Chokusai
Late, Osaka people.Studied under Naomitsu Isseisai and made netsuke with unengraved wooden tusks.
・Tsuji
People before Tenmei.Good at wood carving.
・Tessai
His real name is Kotaro Kano.Born into a sake brewing family in Gifu, he studied sculpture and Buddhist painting for a time.He returned to the priesthood under his father’s tutelage and became a painter and sculptor under the name of Tetsuya.Later, he specialized in sculpture and spent most of his life in Nara, Japan, copying and creating antiques.Named “Hikari” or “Tetsuya Katana Hikari”.
Koka 2 – Showa 1（1845～1926）
・Tokoku
Netsuke maker from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period.He is named Tetsugoro Suzuki.He skillfully handled both wood, tusk, horn, and gold and stone materials, and received high acclaim for his small, elegant pieces, which were either carved or painted by combining several different types of wood.
・Dosho
His real name is Juzaemon Kagei.From Izumo to Osaka, he studied under Anrakusai Doraku and took the name Kurakusai.In addition to tusk carving, he is a master craftsman of both wood, bamboo, shell, horn, and boulder.Bunsei 11 – Meiji 17（1828～84）
・Toumin
He was born in the Tenmei Kansei period.He makes figures and demons out of wood carvings.
・Doraku
Netsuke maker of the middle period.Born in Onomichi, lived in Osaka.He was named Anrakusai and inscribed as Doraku or Dorakusai. He was a master of tsukkoku (carving).
・Tomiharu
Born in Izumo Tamatsukuri, he studied carving in Edo (Tokyo) and lived in Iwami Province.His real name is Gan Shimizu.He went by the name Tomiharu and was popular as a leading figure of the Iwami school.He is also an accomplished haiku poet and has various aliases including “Shunyodo,” “Seiyo-do,” and “籬桃”.Kyoho 10 – Bunka 7（1733～1810）
・Tomokazu
Gifu netsuke maker of the early to mid-19th century.He temporarily went to Kyoto to gain fame, but soon returned to Gifu to live a simple life in a hermitage beside the Kannon-do temple on Kinkasan.He is especially known for his netsuke of turtles and monkeys.
・Tomotada
Before Tenmei (1781-89), Kyoto.He called himself Izumiya Shichiemon and made many cows with “precise and lively” carvings in wood or ivory.It is said that many counterfeits were made because of its popularity as “Tomochu’s cow.
・Tomotada
He was born around Tempo (first half of the nineteenth century).He is said to have studied metal carving under the name of Zenzo Yanagawa and learned from the metal carver Bancho Tanabe, and skillfully carved inro netsuke and other items out of wood as an extra skill.
・Tomochika
An Edo netsuke maker active around the Bunsei Tempo period (the first half of the nineteenth century).Younger brother of Shominzai Chikamasa.He went by the name Yamaguchi Chikuyosai, and used tuskwood to make netsuke in the style of Hokusai cartoons, mainly featuring human figures, birds, animals, and skulls.
・Toyokazu
A pupil of Toyosho.He made a netsuke in the style of Toyosho using wood carving.
・Toyomasa
His real name is Shirobei Naito or Sensuke.In the Kansei era, he opened a business in Tanba Sasayama, carving seals, netsuke, ornaments, and other items.Later, he became an official engraver for the Sasayama domain.He made netsuke of animals and hermits, etc., with a unique and impressive appearance, mainly by carving with yellow willow wood.Anei 2 – Ansei 3（1773～1858）
・Toyoyasu
Son of Toyosho.His name is Eizo.He was also called “Left Toyosho” because he was left-handed.He served as an official of the Sasayama domain together with his father Toyosho, and used the Toyosho name after his father’s death.
Author name in the “na” column
・Ninsei
He is a famous potter in Kyoto. He made ceramic netsuke with his own name.
Author name in the “ha” column
・Hakuunsai
Netsuke maker in Edo after Tempo and before Meiji era. His family name was Ichijo. His son Kitaro succeeded him as the second generation.
・Hakuryu
A netsuke maker in Kyoto around Ansei era. Surnamed Miyasaka. Also called Shoundo. He was skilled at carving animals from tusks.
・Hozan
He was a Buddhist priest in Edo (present-day Tokyo) and was appointed to the post of Hohashi. With his exquisite swordsmanship, he is said to have carved Buddhist sculptures, even the handle, out of a single piece of wood. He also made netsuke and other small, light pieces as an extra skill. A man of the mid-19th century.
・Hojitsu
He was a master craftsman of the mid-19th century, and was called the best in the eastern capital along with Kaikyokusai in the west. He was called Yamada Izaemon and was a retainer of the shogunate. He was also known as Meikikosai.He applied the shiai hori technique, which is often seen in sword and metalwork, to the carving of netsuke for buns, and his precise, free, and colorful carving techniques were a source of amazement to the people of the time. The skillful modeling ability and detailed swordsmanship of his kata-bori netsuke were unrivaled. There are very few authentic Houjitsu netsuke, and many forgeries have been produced.Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
・Hoshin
A Kyotoite from the pre-Tenmei period. He was a wood and tusk carver and made detailed netsuke, such as the Clamuchi no Ryugu (Dragon Palace).
・Houraku
Middle period. Made netsuke carved from wood.
Author name in the “ma” column
・Masakazu
Born in Nagoya. He was the younger brother of Sawaki Rizo Masatoshi, a netsuke maker, and was named Manjiro, Kibodo, or Kibosai. He later moved to Osaka, where he carved wooden figures, animals, masks, and other objects from wood and tusk.The masuzutsu (square rat) netsuke made as trade netsuke during the Meiji period (1868-1912) were well received, and many of them are identical to the original.
・Masaka
He became Shoichi’s pupil and adopted son.He called himself Sawaki Risaburo, and also went by the name Kibodo. He was a serious artist, especially good at sketching rats.
・Masakatsu
The son of Ise Masanao I. Although he produced skillful and beautiful works, he did not succeed to the name due to physical weakness. His works are few in number.
・Masatami
A pupil of Shoichi. A native of Nagoya. He called himself Moribe Fukuzo and was skillful in both wood and tusk carving. Died in 1928. There was another artist, Masatami, who was born in the late 19th century, moved from Nagoya to Osaka, and made carved netsuke of figures, beasts, and masks, specializing in monkey carvings.
・Masatsugu → Kaigyokusai Masatsugu
・Masatomo
A native of Ise in the Tempo-Kaei period (early to mid 19th century). He made wood carvings of hermits, figures, animals, etc.
・Masanao
Late 18th century, Kyoto. He was skilled in both wood carving and tusk carving. He gained popularity for his powerful works that capture the characteristics of familiar animals.
・Masanao
Shinsuke Suzuki of Ise began making netsuke in his middle age, learning from Ittan of Toba, and around the Bunka-Bunsei period (the first half of the 19th century), he took the name Masanao. He produced many elaborate and powerful wood carvings of the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, flowers and birds, including netsuke of frogs, which became popular as souvenirs for visitors to the Ise Shrine. His student Chogoro Miyake succeeded him as Masanao II, and his son Kisaburo succeeded him as Masanao III.Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
・Masayuki
Middle to late period. Lived in Yotsuya, Tokyo. Lived in Yotsuya, Tokyo, and made detailed carvings of ogres and good luck dolls. Another netsuke carver was named Hoshunsai Masayuki around Bunsei period (first half of the 19th century).
・Mitsuhiro
Last name, Ohara.Born in Onomichi, Osaka and known for his tusk carvings.He went by the names Guko, Tokuorinzai, and Kirikido.Bunka 7 – Meiji 8（1810～75）
・Miwa
A master craftsman who is regarded as the founder of Edo netsuke around the time of the Temmei Era (late 18th century).His name was Hiromori Yukan, and he was also known as Kinokuniya Shozaemon.He made netsuke as an extra skill, using cherry blossoms, karaki wood, etc., and often inlaid dyed ivory or dyed horns in the string-through holes. There were several others who called themselves “Miwa.
・Minko
Born in Iga, he became the official sculptor of Tsubata.He made many animals (especially tigers) and fruits using ebony, ebony, yellow willow, black persimmon, and other materials.
He emphasized the importance of design and devised various types of kara-kari netsuke, which became very popular.During his lifetime, many counterfeit netsuke were already in circulation.Tenpo 20 – Bunka 13（1735～1816）
・Minkoku
A master craftsman of the Edo period around Kansei era. He went by the name Genryosai and specialized in wood carving of figures.
・Morikawa Toen
Woodcarver in the early Meiji period. Founder of Nara Itto-bori carving. Known as the foremost master of Yusoku Nara doll carvers.
Author name in the “ya” column
・Yoshitomo
Early mid century. He carved tusks.
・Yoshimura Shuzan
He is the most important netsuke artist since ancient times. Born in Osaka and known as Shujiro. He learned painting from Mitsunobu Segawa, a disciple of Kano Tanyu, and was awarded the rank of Hokan as a painter. With his solid figurative ability, he used mainly old cypress wood to design bizarre images from the “Sankaikei” and “Risenzen Densetsu,” and created netsuke with extreme coloring. All works are unmarked. Some of them are engraved with the Chinese character mark “Zhou” or “Zhou”. This piece belonged to Kurobei (called “Nagamachi Shuzan” by others), who lived in Nagamachi, Osaka, and made Shuzan-style netsuke, calling himself a successor to Yoshimura Shuzan.Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Author name in the “ra” column
・Rakumin
Around Ansei (mid-19th century).He was named Iyabasai. Ono Ryomin is probably descended from him.
・Rante
Born during the Kansei era. His family name was Nagai. He was a native of Izumo and a resident of Kyoto, where he was appointed Hohashi for his skillful carving of tusks. He once carved a thousand monkeys on walnuts, and it is written that “they were so exquisite that they could not be distinguished by the naked eye.
・Ryukei
Born between Tempo and Keio periods. He was born in Kyoto, but later moved to Edo (now Tokyo), where he learned engraving from Houshi and became a netsuke maker. He studied dyed ivory and applied it to netsuke, and his work was so skillful in design and sharp in swordsmanship that he was designated as Hohashi. He was also known as “Kamikosai.
・Ryomin
A man of the late Edo and Meiji periods. He called himself Ono and was skilled at carving tusks.
・Rensai
A man of the late Edo and Meiji periods. He called himself Ishikawa, and was skilled in both wood, tusk, and square carving.
