Okimono or small sculpture in the form of a skeleton bowing graciously. Of natural and carved burl wood. Signed with an incised signature on the reverse of the pelvis by the artist: Oshin (Imai Oshin, 1880 – 1951). With the original fitted and carved wood stand. Late Taisho – early Showa era, circa 1920 – 1930.

With the tomobako or original storage box, inscribed on the exterior of the lid with the title; and on the reverse of the lid signed by the artist: Oshin Saku or Made by Oshin, and sealed. Pasted on the interior of the box lid is a letter from Imai Oshin to one of his patrons, describing this skeleton okimono as his most accomplished masterpiece.

Oshin worked in Kyoto and was one of the finest artists creating burl wood okimono, trays and scepters for sencha tea ceremony. His work generally reveals a subject hidden in a natural form, such as a piece of burl wood, and the artist achieves a perfect harmony between the natural and the artificial, carved aspects. The world of sencha tea enjoyed a great flowering from the beginning of the Meiji era until the Pacific War. In this tradition, Oshin’s work stands out as one of the most brilliant. He moved with his wife to Kita-Kyushu in the 1940s, when the destruction of war took with it the world that had supported his work. His last years were spent living on the charity of friends in exchange for pieces of his art.

For another example of his work, c.f. Kagedo’s catalogue Blue Wind, numbers 30 and 31, and Awaiting the Moon, numbers 51, 68, and 133.