A bronze okimono of two rabbits


By Okazaki Sessei (1854–1921), Meiji era (1868-1912), late 19th/early 20th centuryOne standing with its front paws resting lightly on the back of its recumbent mate, signed beneath on one hind paw Sessei within a rectangular reserve; with a wooden storage box. 12cm x 14cm (4¾in x 5½in). (2).
|Okazaki Sessei got his early training in Osaka under his father, a maker of iron kettles, before moving to Tokyo to study casting under Suzuki Masayoshi. He participated in both domestic and international expositions and became famous for his work on large-scale public works including the statues of Saigo Takamori at the entrance to Ueno Park and of Kusunoki Masashige in the square in front of the Imperial Palace. In his later years he served as Professor at Tokyo School of Art.