Wooden netsuke toggle representing a mother fox nursing a drum. [N.B. 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 17/5/2005]

Collection type: Object
Description: Wooden netsuke toggle representing a mother fox nursing a drum. [N.B. 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 17/5/2005]
Geographical reference: Japan
Asia > Eastern Asia > Japan
Cultural groups: Japanese
Person: PRM source Hermann Arthur Gunther; PRM source Albert Everard Gunther
Date / Period: Date made: Before 1936
Date collected: By 1936
Acquisition information: Loaned: 1944 Donated: 1980
Materials and processes: Material Wood Plant, Process Carved, Process Perforated
Dimensions: Height: max 32 mm
Object numbers: Accession number: 1980.34.2445
Research and responses: Kuzunoha in legend is a fox appearing as a beautiful woman and marrying Abe No Yasuna. She died after giving birth to a boy. In another version she left Abe No Yasuna after 3 years.
Tadanobu is from a completely different story (and this seems to be the relevant here). He was one of the retainers of Minamoto Yoshitsune. Yoshitsune was flying from the persecution of Yoritomo, and the in course of this had to part form his concubine Shizuka. He gave her a drum as a parting gift. In the legend a fox appears in the shape of Tadanobu to reclaim the drum, which was made with the skin from the belly of its mother. Therefore a popular depiction shows Tadanobu as a fox in warrior's dress or as a fox hugging a drum. See 'Legend in Japanese Art' by Henri L. Joly, p. 320. [El.B 23/01/2012]