a happy netsuke dog

www.metmuseum.org. Gift of Alvin H. Schechter, 1985

Could this mutt look any happier?  Could that fish be any plumper?  This pair, made in Japan of ivory and horn sometime in the late 19th - early 20th centuries, is a delightful kataborinetsuke ("figural netsuke," the most common kind).  If this were hanging from the end of my purse, I imagine I'd feel as fortunate as this dog looks.  In Japan dogs were looked on as dispellers of evil; what an excellent choice to guard your wallet. 
For sheer interest, I'll offer this link to the International Netsuke Society website.