TSUDA SHINOBU (1875-1946) A Bronze Kōro (Incense Burner) in the Form of a Shishi Showa era (1926-1989), circa 1935-1940Property of various ownersTSUDA SHINOBU (1875-1946)A Bronze Kōro (Incense Burner) in the Form of a Shishi Showa era (1926-1989), circa 1935-1940Cast in two sections as a seated shishi (Chinese mythical lion) with its chest thrust forward, its head raised and mouth open in a roar, finished in a rich greenish brown patina, signed on the base with chiseled signature Daiju sakuWith a wood storage box 11in (27.9cm) highAssertive, aggressive models of shishi were a favorite subject for bronze sculpture during the latter half of the 1930s as Japanese propagandists sought to engage citizens more actively in the war effort in Manchuria and China. For another example by Tsuda, one of the leading bronze artists of the period, see Kendall H. Brown, Deco Japan: Shaping Art and Culture, 1920-1945, exhibition catalogue, Alexandria, Va., Art Services International, 2012, cat. no. 127).