Description ARIMA TOMONOBU: A LARGE NAGOYA SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF THE SANSUKUMIBy Arima Tomonobu, signed Tomonobu 友信Japan, Nagoya, first half of 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)The frog is seated on the top of a large, leafy pumpkin while the snake winds in and around the gourd, its mouth voraciously opened and facing the slug, which completes this trinity of beings referred to as the 'sansukumi'. Natural himotoshi formed by the pumpkin stalk. Signed TOMONOBU within a raised rectangular reserve to the underside.HEIGHT 3 cm, LENGTH 4.8 cmCondition: Good condition with typical surface wear. One leaf with an old chip. Fine, attractive patina.Provenance: French private collection.The netsuke depicts the sansukumi motif, meaning 'mutual control'. The snake will consume the frog, however there is a catch – the frog has already eaten a poisonous snail, so too the snake must perish.Literature comparison: A closely related netsuke by the same carver is illustrated with a line drawing in Meinertzhagen, Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986) MCI, Part B, p. 908. A related netsuke of a tree-frog and three snakes in a pumpkin by the same carver is illustrated in Neil Davey (1974) Netsuke, p. 206, no. 626.Auction comparison: Compare a closely related netsuke by the same carver sold at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 16 April 2021, Vienna, lot 142 (sold for 3,539 EUR).