A FINE TSUISHU FOUR-CASE LACQUER INRO WITH CHORYO AND KOSEKIKO, WITH EN SUITE NETSUKE AND OJIME

A FINE TSUISHU FOUR-CASE LACQUER INRO WITH CHORYO AND KOSEKIKO, WITH EN SUITE NETSUKE AND OJIME Unsigned Japan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) The four-case inro of upright form and oval section, lacquered in tsuishu (carved red lacquer) and finely worked in high relief depicting Choryo with his sword drawn, standing atop a water dragon amidst crashing waves, and presenting the fallen shoe to Kosekiko who is shown on the other side mounted on his horse striding across a bridge and holding a scroll. The scene is set beneath a neatly carved pine tree, the sides of the inro are incised with key fret borders, the top and bottom beautifully incised with floral designs. The interior lacquered in red._x000D_ With a beautifully matching blue and white porcelain ojime decorated with underglaze blue waves and a fine tsuishu lacquer netsuke of unusual quatrefoil shape, the top carved with a chrysanthemum flower and with four panels to the side depicting literati, pine and craggy rocks, the underside with a central himotoshi and a finely incised asanoha ground. HEIGHT 8.2 cm, LENGTH 4.6 cm Condition: Very good condition, some tiny losses to lacquer. Provenance: German private collection. The interior with some old Japanese labels and remnants of incense. Zhang Liang (known as Choryo in Japanese) was a Chinese military strategist and politician who lived in the early Western Han dynasty. The present inro depicts the legend of when Choryo met the old man Kosekiko (Huang Shigong) on a bridge. The old man began to teach the art of war to Choryo and one day Kosekiko wanted to test Choryo and threw a shoe into the river where a powerful water dragon lived. The dragon seized the shoe and Choryo defeated it and gave the shoe back to Kosekiko.