AN UNUSUAL JAPANESE IVORY NETSUKE EDO/MEIJI PERIOD Carved as a muscular oni applying moxa to his...

AN UNUSUAL JAPANESE IVORY NETSUKE

EDO/MEIJI PERIOD

Carved as a muscular oni applying moxa to his knee, the demon typically depicted with short horns and with strands of hair curling around his neck, frowning in concentration, unsigned, 4cm.

Provenance: An English private collection, Surrey.

Moxibustion is a Chinese therapy based on the same principles as acupuncture. According to it, applying dried mugwort leaves on specific pressure points would restore the balance in the qi (life energy). This oni is probably repentant as moxibustion was part of the ordination process for Buddhist monks in Japan.