LITMIR.BIZ

      Saga-ningyō of a dog Wood with gofun and raised lacquer designs

       Edo period, 18th century

       Height 14 inches

       Kyoto National Museum

      Seated gosho-ningyō with dog

       Edo period, 19th century

       Height 13 inches

       Ayervais Collection

      Dressed only in a bib, the gosho-ningyō's physiognomy is clearly visible. The arms have an almost inflated feel, puffing out just below the wrists. Incised lines around the elbow, at the knee, and along the soles of the feet contribute to this healthily corpulent effect. Interestingly, the bellies of the gosho-ningyō are rarely overly large or distended. The sex of the figure is chastely covered by the haragake. Rather than being a fashion element restricted to gosho-ningyō, woodblock prints frequently depict children clothed in just such a bib, with open backs, tied at the neck and secured around the middle by a cord. The embroidery treatment typically found on the haragake, however, tended towards the ornate and was more decorative than a child's daily wear bib would actually have been.

      Karakuri Gosho-ningyō with Fox Mask

      It was a great honor when the minister Tachibana no Michinari asked Kokaji Munechika (938-1014) to create a sword for the young Emperor Ichijō (980-1011). Michinari was acting on behalf of Ichijō who had dreamt that Kokaji had created for him the perfect blade, comparable even to the divine Heavenly Cloud Mass Sword, one of the three imperial symbols. Historically, Kokaji is reputed to be one of the greatest swordsmiths of the Heian period and founder of an important swordsmithing lineage. But he despaired of making a blade suitable for the emperor without the right assistant, one who equaled Kokajis own skill.

      The swordsmith decided to seek divine assistance and went to pray to Inari Myojin, God of the Harvest, asking for help in creating the perfect blade. While at the shrine, a young boy approached him and told him not to worry that Kokaji would succeed in his efforts if he only had faith. He was instructed to prepare a sacred space in which to create the blade, to ring the area with sacred cord, and to attach images of the gods. Later that night, while Kokaji prepared to work on the blade, a fox, a manifestation of Inari, appeared. With this divine assistance, Kokaji succeeded in creating the perfect blade, a gift worthy of Emperor Ichijō. On the handle he imprinted "Munechika, swordsmith," and on the reverse "Foxling" in recognition of Inaris favorable intervention.

      Historically, Kokaji was one of the most celebrated of all sword-smiths. This legend, ascribing supernatural aid in the creation of some of his swords, entered into popular lore and became the subject of Noh and karakuri-ningyō (mechanical doll) performances. The eighteenth-century Ōkarakuri ezukushi, which illustrates some of the more popular performances at the celebrated Takeda-za mechanical puppet theater in Osaka, has a picture of a karakuriningyō tableau depicting Kokaji. The minister Michinari is shown looking on as Kokaji Munechika works the blade diligently. Inari, in the guise of a fox, shown in the lower right, aids in the crucial work of pounding the blade in a precise syncopated rhythm. The complexity of the scene helps us understand why the Takeda-za was such a success during the mid-Edo period, its performances rivaling Kabuki and ningyō jōruri (puppet theater) in popularity. The story of Kokaji is also depicted in gosho-ningyō and Takeda-ningyō forms with some frequency as well.

      The rice goddess Inari is most frequently symbolized by a kitsune (fox). Within the Shintō tradition, the fox serves as a messenger to the gods, conveying the wishes of mortals in this world to the other world of the gods. Shrines dedicated to Inari often have foxes flanking their closed doors behind which lies the principal deity.

      While the image of the deity is rarely seen, the kitsune are accessible to everyone. In standard representations, the male figure rests his paw on the tama or wish-fulfilling jewel, while the female holds in her mouth the key to the rice storage chest, both symbols of their abilities to successfully convey and grant wishes.

      Partially due to their connection with the gods through Inari, and partly due to the uncanny cleverness exhibited by natural foxes, kitsune also play a large role in Japanese folklore. As pranksters and as mischievous entities, stories abound describing the many ways kitsune can bedevil humans. Able to take the form of a man or woman, kitsune were believed to be able to enter the lives of the unsuspecting, sometimes for good, other times for ill.

      One of the most famous of these transformations occurs in the celebrated jōruri puppet drama Yoshitsune senbon zakura (Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees), a historical play (jidaimono) which premiered at the Takemoto Theater in Osaka in November 1747. Based on the life of the twelfth-century warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159-89) and his quest to subdue the Taira, the play also contains a haunting subtale. In this segment, Yoshitsune entrusts his mistress Shizuka Gozen to the care of Sado Tadanobu (1161-86) and asks him to bring her to his mansion at Kawazura. As a keepsake, Yoshitsune gives Shizuka a drum named Hatsune. When Tadanobu appears before Yoshitsune at Kawazura without Shizuka, Yoshitsune demands to know what has happened to his mistress. Confused, Tadanobu explains that he has been attending to his ailing mother and has not seen Shizuka. Just at that moment, Shizuka arrives with another Tadanobu. Confronted, the second Tadanobu reveals that he is really a fox and that the tympanum of the drum Hatsune is made from the skin of his parents, magical foxes, which had been slaughtered years ago to make drums to pray for rain. In gratitude for keeping Shizuka safe during their journey, and in recognition of his deep filial piety that has kept him pursuing this drum all these years, Yoshitsune bestows upon him the name Genkurō Kitsune, "Genkurō the Fox." Kabuki adopted this segment of Yoshitsune as well in a play entitled Kawazura hogan yakata no ba (At Kawazura Hogans Mansion).

      Karakuri gosho-ningyō with fox mask

       Edo period, 19th century

       Height 10 1/2 inches

       Ayervais Collection