ISSAI: A FINE WOOD NETSUKE OF A NIO REPAIRING A BROKEN SANDAL By Issai, signed Issai 一齋 Japan, Edo (Tokyo), mid-19th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Superbly detailed as a Nio mending a huge broken sandal (zori), his body covered in bulging veins and the double-inlaid eyes slightly cross-eyed from all the effort. The wood bearing a fine patina. Large, asymmetrical himotoshi through the underside and signed ISSAI. HEIGHT 4 cm, LENGTH 4.8 cm Condition: Excellent condition. Provenance: The Gabor Wilhelm Collection, Paris. Nio are athletic guardians, whose sculptures are seen by the entrance gates of Buddhist temples. It was thought that offering a sandal to their sculptures would heal the exhausted feet from the long pilgrimages to the temples. Literature comparison: A very similar, yet smaller netsuke by Issai is in the collection of the museum Kunst Palast Duesseldorf, accession no. mkp.P 2005-131.