An ebony or kurogaki wood netsuke of a Himalayan bear


By Hosai, Edo/Tokyo, late 19th centurySigned on a green-stained tablet Hosai. 3.8cm (1½in) high.
|黒檀/黒柿彫根付　月輪熊　銘「法斎」　19世紀後期Published: Katchen, N7, vol.1, p.243, no.K359.Seated, leaning forward and licking its raised right forepaw, forming a compact composition, the pads beneath its feet with ukibori pimples and the distinctive crescent on its chest inlaid with bone, one leg forming the himotoshi.The Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus), also known as the moon bear or white-chested bear, is native to much of Asia, including the Himalayas, China, Taiwan and the Honshu and Shikoku islands of Japan.