JAPAN 1910 Meiji Okimono Sculpture Kinko Sennin On a Carp Carved In Ivory

Japanese Meiji period okimono of Kinko. This is a beautiful okimono figure, created in imperial Japan during the Meiji period, back in he 1910. The okimono sculpture has been carefully carved in ivory depicting the figure of Kinko Sennin dressed and seated on the back of a huge carp with its body flat and fully engraved. This piece is very well executed and retains all the original aged patina of over 100 years old. This piece will be a great addition for your desk, your Japanese antiques collection, or your bijouterie cabinet.    Legend of Kinko   Kinko, who lived beside a river and was a painter of fish. One day a giant carp offered to take him for a ride into the realm of the immortals. He returned after a month, telling his followers never to kill another fish. He then jumped into the river, where he was transformed into a carp himself. Kinko is usually shown reading a Taoist scroll while riding on the back of the magical fish.   Okimono This is a Japanese term meaning for display an ornament; art object; or decorative object, usually displayed in a tokonoma or butsudan "Buddhist altar". It is an ornament or figure, especially one placed in a guest room. An okimono may be a small Japanese carving, similar to but larger than a netsuke. Unlike the netsuke, which had a specific purpose, the okimono is exclusively decorative and was displayed in the tokonoma. During the Meiji period, many okimonos were made for export to the West. Meiji period