inro, netsuke, ojime (fox wedding scene)

Shiomi Masanari, artist

1647–1722

inro, netsuke, ojime (fox wedding scene), early 1700s

Where object was made: Japan

Material/technique: lacquer; wood; gold; ivory

Dimensions:
Object Length/Width/Depth (Length x Width x Depth): 10.1 x 11.5 x 2.5 cm without string
Object Length/Width/Depth (Length x Width x Depth): 4 1/2 x 4 x 1 in
Object Length/Width/Depth (Length x Width x Depth): 22.1 x 11.5 x 2.5 cm with string extended
Object Length/Width/Depth (Length x Width x Depth): 4 1/2 x 8 11/16 x 1 in

Credit line: William Bridges Thayer Memorial

Accession number: 1928.0031.a,b,c

Not on display

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Images

Label texts

Archive Label 2003:
Japanese folklore includes many tales about kitsune, or the fox, as a trickster who often transforms himself into human guise in order to ridicule human behavior. Foxes were thought to enjoy not only the transformation, but also the play-acting that was part of it. Kitsune no yomeiri, the fox wedding, is a story about a fox marrying a vixen on a day when it rains with the sun shining. Masanari illustrates the tale on this inro- by painting the soft rounded hills and trees with gold, suggesting the warm sunlight through the rain as a fox procession makes its way toward the wedding celebration. The small fires floating above the foxes add a supernatural element, signifying that these creatures have special powers. The accompanying netsuke of a fox gnawing on a skull refers to the more sinister side of the kitsune mythology.

Label copy (Summer, 2004) - De Jong, Navarro:
These two objects (see also 1928.0127) share a motif popular in both China and Japan - the fox. This creature was considered a cunning animal able to transform itself into human form and fool the gullible. Foxes were believed to subdue harmful spirits, so shrines were built to them. They were also thought to be souls of the dead when seen roaming ceneteries, and believed to be messengers of the Japanese deity Inari.

Many tales focus on the fox's supposed ?ness and its ability to change into a beautiful woman. According to one story, a fox-woman fell in love with a good man and they married. They had a family together and lived happily for several years, but the fox-woman could not remain human forever, so one evening while her family selpt she said boodbye and never returned in human form. She revisited as a fox, though, watching and guarding her home. It is possible that the scene represented on this inro (a case worn from a man's waistband) depicts this tale. The individaul netsuke of a fox in clothing may represent a fox-woman.