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First let me say that I am glad to have found this website. It promises to be a real boon.

I recently purchased several netsuke at the 10/22 Skinner auction of Asian art. The red-eyed ox below is from the New Orleans Museum of Art. I bought it because it is nearly an exact duplicate of a Tomotada (see "Collector's Netsuke" by Raymond Bushell page 29). However, upon close examination, the signature is not Tomotada.

As a netsuke novice collector, I have only the above mentioned Bushell book as a reference. I am surprised at the lack of netsuke signature information on the web. I think the signature is Gyo. Any help with the signature and a guess at date would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Stan Shursky

signature is GYOKUSEKI

Absence of wear to cord holes sugggests this is post Edo period., possibly 20th century.

Anthony M. Lee
Asian Art Research

Thanks! I googled Gyokuseki and buddhamuseum.com has a couple of examples of his work. They say he is an Edo artist. The signature on my piece roughly compares with the signature on the "cicadca on a roof tile" here:

http://www.buddhamuseum.com/cicada-roof-tile-netsuke.html

Thanks again for your help,
Stan Shursky

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