SHIOMI MASANARI: A SUPERB FOUR-CASE INRO WITH HERDBOY AND OX By a member of the Shiomi Masanari family, signed Shiomi Masanari 鹽見政誠 Japan, 19th century The wide-bodied inro bearing a lustrous gold kinji ground and lacquered in marvelous gold, black, red, and green togidashi-e. One side shows a large and bulky recumbent ox, with its head lowered and turning back, the hairwork, spine, and halter all superbly detailed. The image extends to the other side and shows a herdboy, fast asleep, dressed in a flowing green robe and leaning against a basket. Signed to the side of the first case within a typical rectangular reserve in red lacquer SHIOMI MASANARI. The interior of densely sprinkled nashiji with gold fundame edges. SIZE 8.2 x 6.7 cm The imagery plays on a Zen Buddhist parable which draws a parallel between the herdboy and ox and the attainment of enlightenment. It is most famously portrayed in the series of ten ox herding pictures (originally only eight) accompanied by a series of short poems by Kakuan Shien. The motif is often associated with the Shiomi Masanari family of lacquer artists founded at the end of the seventeenth century, whose name was passed down by successive generations of pupils and descendants. Condition: Overall good condition. Some light surface scratches, as are to be expected, some minuscule chips to the edges of the risers, some microscopic nibbles to edges. The lowest case with a small restoration to the bottom edge. Provenance: European collection. Literature comparison: An almost identical example from Trumpf collection, is located in the Linden Museum (TI 280). Auction comparison: A smaller related togidashi-e inro by the same school, depicting a similar subject, was recently sold at Zacke, Fine Netsuke & Sagemono, 16 April 2021, Vienna, lot 341 (sold for 7,584 EUR). Another related inro by the Masanari family was sold at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Art, 11 May 2017, London, lot 84 (sold for 8,750 GBP).