5th Dec, 2025 10:00
Fine Japanese Art
257
YAMAMOTO: A MASTERFUL IKI-NINGYO (LIVING DOLL) OF RIKISHI (SUMO WRESTLERS)
€7,500
€15,000
A buyer’s premium of 30.00% (including VAT) applies to the hammer price of this lot if your bid is successful.
By Yamamoto, signed Yamamoto to with kakihan
Japan, late 19th century, late Edo period (1615-1868) to Meiji period (1868-1912)
Exhibited: Brandt Oriental Art, London, Salon international d'art asiatique, 5 - 8 October 2001, Hôtel Dassault, Paris.
Naturalistically modeled, the composition captures two sumo wrestlers locked in the climactic moment of the kawazu gake, or leg entanglement throw. The pair twist and strain in perfect balance, their muscular forms rendered with extraordinary realism. The dark toned skin is layered with subtle pigments over gesso, the surface detailed with veins along the arms and feet, fine arm hair, and minute creases at the joints. The faces are strikingly alive, the eyes inlaid in glass and glistening with tension, the mouths opened in exertion, expertly hollowed and inlaid with individually carved teeth. Even the soles of the feet are worked with creases and naturalistic coloration. One foot bears the signature YAMAMOTO to [carved by Yamamoto] and a kakihan.
SIZE 39 × 30 × 57 cm
Provenance: Brandt Oriental Art, London, 2001. British private collection, acquired from the above.
Condition: Overall excellent condition with expected wear, light crackling, tiny losses along the edges, a few tiny nicks here and there, all as is to be expected from this type.
Iki-ningyo are lifelike dolls that gained popularity in misemono (public exhibitions) during Japan’s Edo period. Produced from the late Edo through the Meiji period, they were crafted with such realism that they appeared almost human. These figures typically depicted characters from legend and history, deities and Buddhas, renowned courtesans, or foreign and exotic subjects.
Museum comparison:
Compare a related life size (170x150x160 cm) iki ningyo of two sumo wrestlers, by Kamehachi Yasumoto, who was related to the present carver Yamamoto, c. 1890, in the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related iki ningyo of sumo wrestlers, dated to c. 1890, 57.7 cm high, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese and Korean Art, 24 September 2020, New York, lot 915 (sold for USD 12,575 or approx. EUR 13,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
By Yamamoto, signed Yamamoto to with kakihan
Japan, late 19th century, late Edo period (1615-1868) to Meiji period (1868-1912)
Exhibited: Brandt Oriental Art, London, Salon international d'art asiatique, 5 - 8 October 2001, Hôtel Dassault, Paris.
Naturalistically modeled, the composition captures two sumo wrestlers locked in the climactic moment of the kawazu gake, or leg entanglement throw. The pair twist and strain in perfect balance, their muscular forms rendered with extraordinary realism. The dark toned skin is layered with subtle pigments over gesso, the surface detailed with veins along the arms and feet, fine arm hair, and minute creases at the joints. The faces are strikingly alive, the eyes inlaid in glass and glistening with tension, the mouths opened in exertion, expertly hollowed and inlaid with individually carved teeth. Even the soles of the feet are worked with creases and naturalistic coloration. One foot bears the signature YAMAMOTO to [carved by Yamamoto] and a kakihan.
SIZE 39 × 30 × 57 cm
Provenance: Brandt Oriental Art, London, 2001. British private collection, acquired from the above.
Condition: Overall excellent condition with expected wear, light crackling, tiny losses along the edges, a few tiny nicks here and there, all as is to be expected from this type.
Iki-ningyo are lifelike dolls that gained popularity in misemono (public exhibitions) during Japan’s Edo period. Produced from the late Edo through the Meiji period, they were crafted with such realism that they appeared almost human. These figures typically depicted characters from legend and history, deities and Buddhas, renowned courtesans, or foreign and exotic subjects.
Museum comparison:
Compare a related life size (170x150x160 cm) iki ningyo of two sumo wrestlers, by Kamehachi Yasumoto, who was related to the present carver Yamamoto, c. 1890, in the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related iki ningyo of sumo wrestlers, dated to c. 1890, 57.7 cm high, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese and Korean Art, 24 September 2020, New York, lot 915 (sold for USD 12,575 or approx. EUR 13,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
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Auction: Fine Japanese Art, 5th Dec, 2025
We're delighted to present Fine Japanese Art — a live auction featuring 600 exceptional lots that span every era of Japan’s rich artistic heritage.
The first 360 lots are featured in our printed catalog, beginning with Bronzes & Meiji metalwork, including a superb selection of silver works and notable pieces by celebrated masters such as Kitagawa Hokusen I and Jomi Eisuke II. These are followed by an outstanding group of samurai artworks, showcasing works by the Myochin family, intricate jizai okimono, exquisite tsuba from the Kotler Collection, and a distinguished array of armors, helmets, and swords. Learn more.
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