A single-case inlaid lacquer inro**

Kusunoki Masashige (1294-1336) is a beloved Japanese hero who doggedly supported the losing side and was obliged to commit seppuku. As such, he was the supreme samurai of legend. An obscure chieftain from Kawachi province in the Osaka area, Masashige fought on the side of the ill-fated emperor Godaigo, who went up against the shogunate in Kamakura and attempted a restoration of imperial rule. Some have called Masashige a ruffian and opportunistic swashbuckler, but most have portrayed him as a tragic figure of obstinate determination, credited with loyalist ideals (chushin).

Enshrined by later generations as a patriotic hero, called Nanko, Masashige epitomized loyalty, courage and devotion to the emperor. This inro, featuring the loyalist paragon in full armor awaiting the arrival of Godaigo, was made during a time of rising nationalism. Masashige became a patron saint of World War II kamikaze pilots, who saw themselves as his spiritual heirs in sacrificing their lives for the emperor. The desperate suicide attacks on Okinawa were named kikusui in reference to his crest of a chrysanthemum (kiku) on water.

Previously sold, Christie's London, Japanese Art and Design, 17 November, 1999, lot 121