Ashinaga (Long Legs) and Tenaga (Long Arms) are among the many strange beings represented in netsuke, where they usually appear together, barefoot and wearing only cloth skirts, as in this small sculptural group. Hoisted on Ashinaga’s shoulders, Tenaga reaches down with his long arms for whatever sea creature lays at his companion’s feet, typically an octopus or some type of fish, but occasionally a crab or an eel. In the nineteenth century, the subject found favor with some Japanese painters and print designers, such as Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, and Kawanabe Kyōsai, but the pair appear far more frequently in netsuke than in any other Japanese medium. They were originally among the many foreign lands and peoples recorded in the ancient Chinese text Shanhaijing (Classic of Mountains and Seas). Copies of this volume and other Chinese texts made their way to Japan, where they were incorporated into publications and encyclopedias throughout the Edo period (1615−1868), providing Japanese artists with a plethora of bizarre creatures, humanlike figures, and foreign beings from which to draw inspiration. In early Chinese sources, Ashinaga and Tenaga are variously described as fishing together—with Long Legs carrying Long Arms on his shoulders—or as individual beings. The pairing of the two seems to have developed in Japan during the Edo period, when it became the standard depiction, emblematic of cooperation, mutual support, and the benefits of contributing to the greater good.
2024
