I have admired netsuke since I first saw them at the EPCOT Japan pavilion exhibition in the mid-90s. I had, so far, resisted starting a collection of my own, though I have looked at them on eBay before.
Today, I went to a Token Kai (weapons convention) where there were a lot of netsuke for sale. I broke down and bought one for myself (two rats on top of a barrel, and a third that is a moving piece and pokes its head in and out of a hole), and one for my father for his birthday, because he admired the netsuke as much as I did. My question is about his.
It is of two men, one (so the dealer told me) the god of Fishing and one the god of Agriculture. They are (so the dealer told me) commonly shown together, with the one holding a fish and the other holding a bale of rice (is that what it is?). The one I bought is kind of cute because the god of Agriculture has stolen the fish from the god of Fishing, who is unhappy about it and making a face.
Can anyone fill me in on the names of these two spirits/gods/whatevers, what precisely the Agriculture one is holding, and anything else about identifying quality netsuke…? The dealer told me that the one with the rats, that I bought for myself, was about 150 years old, but another dealer who gave me some tips on dating netsuke said something that made me think it is more likely 20th century (there are circles carved around the holes where the cord goes).
Anyone?