AN IRON ARTICULATED SCULPTURE OF A SNAKE

This is the work of Tanaka Tadayoshi, a modern metal artist active in the Taisho and Showa periods. He apprenticed in the Kyoto workshop of Takase Kozan (1869-1934), who directed the studio creating articulated sculptures for both domestic and international markets. Tadayoshi was known as a master of articulated sculptures especially of large scale, such as the present lot. For a similar work signed by Muneyoshi in the British Museum, see Harada Kazutoshi, ed., Jizai okimono / Articulated Iron Figures of Animals, Rokusho 11, special edition (2010), pl. 12.
In Japanese culture, the snake symbolizes successful harvests and fertility. In the field, the snake eats mice and other pests. The molting nature of the reptile suggests regeneration and immortality. Often seen at shrines and the front doors of houses at the New Year, sacred ropes (shimenawa 注連縄) symbolize sanctity and purity. The entwined and twisted form of the ropes derives from mating snakes. Ugajin 宇賀神, the serpent guardian and fertility deity in Japanese mythology, is often depicted with a snake body and a human head, and is also worshipped for good fortune.