The warrior Satō Tadanobu fighting for his life, after his treacherous ex-lover had revealed his whereabouts to the enemy. She had disabled his swords so he picked up a gō board to try and defend himself. This scene is also depicted in the print EA1971.114.
Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 23 April-22 September 2013, Manjū: Netsuke from the Collection of the Ashmolean Museum, Joyce Seaman, ed. (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 2013), no. 90 on p. 224, illus. p. 225
Manjū, gō, netsuke
The manjū is a type of netsuke or toggle which takes its name from a round, sweet, bean paste-filled bun. A greater dynamism can often be achieved on the front and back of the netsuke than with other three-dimensional carving.
Art name
The netsuke is a form of toggle that was used to secure personal items suspended on cords from the kimono sash. These items included purses, medicine cases or tobacco paraphernalia.
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