Mystery critter on ko-kinko menuki

[Ron STL]

Looking for your thoughts on these old friends of min. This very old set of menuki have long been a favorite in my collection of menuki. I Had them out again to study them and surprisingly, discovered something unnoticed before. Each animal is eating what appears to be a fish! This helps me to confirm my suspicion the critter is likely a weasel. I've known it was not a squirrel and suspected a weasel or badge, but the tail and body shape resemble more that of a weasel than a badger. Could this relate to a Japanese tale or story? 

 

I'm also looking for you opinions on where to place these menuki. Obviously, they have great age. On the backs, which have maie/female posts, you can see remnants of a silvery gold coating on them. This made me think Ezo, but the front shows nothing like this. Also, thinking Ezo one thinks large size menuki. These measure 3.6 cm. In my judgement they could date back to Ezo, at least early Muromachi or even earlier. I hope you find this an intersting pair of menuki, and can share some opinion on both the critter and age/origin of the menuki. 

Ron STL

[Toryu2020]

Do a search for "Yamane"

-t

[Spartancrest]

They could represent Palm Civets, the scale against the fish size would be close? Depending on where they live they can have bushy or almost hairless tails. Also some have spots while others can have stripes, a very wide ranging animal found in many Asian countries.

 

[Iekatsu]

I think what is being mistaken for a fish, could actually just be whiskers, these are Edo examples but you get the idea.

 

 

 

[Iekatsu]

Great Menuki Ron, I quite like them. In relation to categorisation and period. It does not fit stylistically with Ezo work, they would likely paper to Ko-kinko. As for period I think they likely date to the late Muromachi-Momoyama

period.

 

 

[Ron STL]

Thanks for the interesting comments. I should have mentioned, these menuki are indeed yamagani. Dale's idea that this might depict a palm civet is interesting, considering the punched "spots" on the menuki. As for the critter eating a fish or that this what we see are a depiction of whiskers on a squirrel, I had to look further into that thought. I have a book, one of a series of Japanese Art, that Peter Bleed gave me, on the history of the grapes and squirrel motif that goes back to ancient Greece. I could find only a few illustrations showing squirrels with whiskers, and those are definitely coming from the "cheeks." Most depictions do not show whiskers. Looking again at my menuki I'm hard to see "whiskers" but more likely a fish in the critters mouth. One the close-up I posted you can see the fish being held in the front of the critters mouth. 

 

I must agree with Tom about not being Ezo although I'm still puzzled by the silver/gold coloration on the backs. I don't think that resulted from aging yamagani. As Tom put it, the NBTHK would likely leave their opion at "ko-kinko" work. I just find it so interesting to try and understand these somewhat abstract, unrefined-looking early menuki and tsuba. Maybe more thoughts and opinions can be offered here? All help to improve our insight into these things. 

Ron STL

[SteveM]

Squirrels and grapes are a common theme, so if there are grapes on the item and an unidentified small furry animal, its bound to be a squirrel. 

 

On this f/k set below, the animal is identified as a weasel (which I what my first impression of Ron's menuki was).

https://tokka.biz/fittings/F068.html

 

 

 

 

[Spartancrest]

Look as I might I can't find Japanese squirrels with spots. Perhaps the design is borrowed from a legend of another animal from China? Japanese Weasels also have no spots and small ears - I think there is a lot of artistic license going on, designs are often difficult to pin down.

I have seen squirrels on guards before but not with spots other than https://www.samuraimuseum.jp/shop/product/antique-tsuba-for-samurai-sword-with-nbthk-hozon-certificatet-219/  the one pictured by Thomas S. above. 

 

An old thread here.  [being silly but your menuki could be a squirrel hit by a shotgun!]

 

[SteveM]

Actually, those dots on the animal must be important, so maybe Ron's menuki aren't weasels. 

[Spartancrest]

Apart from the Civets there is a small wild cat in Japan. The Tsushima leopard cat is an endangered wildcat inhabiting Tsushima islands, Nagasaki prefecture. It is regarded as a subspecies of the leopard cat and is thought to have arrived in Tsushima from the Asian continent about 100,000 years ago. - but the menuki don't look like cats at all and the Leopard cat does not have a thick bushy tail. I look forward to finding out what this mysterious animal is, as depicted on the menuki.

[Grevedk]

Could be the Japanese KITSUNE (fox) with or without forked (nine) tails? As menuki they could represent cleverness, intelligence, guidance or maybe just mischief 

 

No commercial intended 

[Franco D]

Mustela itatsi ; the one in the image linked below appears to have spots, fish are on its menu. Bushy tail ? Yes, and no. Ears seem more correct than a squirrels ears for these menuki.

 

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/64922182

 

Ko Kinko 

[Toryu2020]

Try this...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_dormouse

[Ron STL]

This has been quite interesting, to see what ideas were brought out regarding the critter. Thinking about those spots punched into the menuki, they are kind of randomly placed. As was mentioned, this might just be the artistic liberty that was mentioned. This really makes me think weasel, primarily based on it eating a fish (if that is interpreted correctly). All in all, these are rather unique menuki made almost five centuries ago. I always found it amazing that two such small items (menuki) can remain together for centuries. Only in Japan! 

[1kinko]

For what its worth, the spots appear to me to be dot inlays that were not adequately punched in. On several you can see the impression of a larger nanako tagane around the outside of the inlay impression. If this was the only tagane used to place the dot, it would not withstand a lot of handling. Perhaps the intended color of the spots (white silver, yellow brass/gold, brown-grey shibuichi) might be helpful for speciation?

[FZ1]

I'm with Soren - I think its a fox.  To me, the body looks too stocky (heavy/wide) for a weasel.  The tail & ears are fox-like and kitsune are prevalent in Japanese folk lore.

 

Just my 2d worth!

 

Jon

[Franco D]

https://www.touken-matsumoto.jp/en/product/shousai/MEN-2313

[Spartancrest]

Some similar ones to those found by Franco D. https://www.jauce.com/auction/n1050471823 I am not an expert on menuki but the underside doesn't look right to me. 

The image shows clearly the animals thick whiskers and an improbably thick and wavy tail - no spots.

 

[Brian]

Definitely some sort of whiskers.