made in Japan
This ivory netsuke is of Kiyohime, a dragon witch, who is wrapped round a temple bell. A netsuke is used to fasten an inro, a small lacquered container, which hung from the sash of a man's kimono. They became miniature art forms in their own right.
This view of the back of a netsuke of Kiyohime, a jealous woman. She turned into a dragon witch, wrapping herself around the temple bell and burning the priest who was hiding from her unwanted attentions. The himetoshi for the cord can be seen.
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