Inro

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This Inro is made from carved wood. It shows five monkeys climbing trees.

Two netsuke are attached, one shows a monkey mother with her baby and the other is a young monkey.

This inro represents a man called Chokaro. He is one of eight Chinese immortals.

Chokaro has a magical horse that sleeps inside the gourd he carries. When Chokaro needs to go somewhere he blows into the gourd and his horse appears.

The story of Chokaro and his magical horse may explain the Japanese proverb ‘a horse from a gourd’ which means that the most unexpected things can happen.

The gourd is a symbol of good luck, rebirth and immortality.