RAKUCHU: A STAG ANTLER OBI-HASAMI NETSUKE OF A NEKOMATA By Rakuchu, signed Rakuchu 樂虫 Very finely carved and stained as a sleeping nekomata, a type of yokai cat with a forked tail. The mythical being is shown here with an elongated body, the design cleverly executed, its front paws hanging downwards to be inserted into the obi (belt). Its long two-pronged tail curls upwards at the end, some flames are emanating from its terminus. Signed to the side RAKUCHU. HEIGHT 10.7 cm Condition: Excellent condition. Provenance: European collection. It is thought that a cat that is several years of age will come to have two tails and become the yokai called nekomata. For a discussion of the artist by Yoichi Shimatani, titled Rakuchu: A Neoclassical Netsuke Carver, see INSJ, vol. 29, no. 4.