The baku was a common subject in netsuke. A mythical beast imported from Chinese folklore, the nightmare-eating baku was known in Japan by the fifteenth century. It is described in the early seventeenth-century Japanese illustrated book Sankai ibutsu (Mythical Creatures of the Mountains and Seas) and pictured in prints and books throughout the eighteenth century, with some or all of the following traits: an elephant’s trunk and tusks, rhinoceros eyes, an oxtail, and tiger paws (see M.2000.104.26). Despite its menacing appearance, the baku was revered as a powerful protector best known for devouring nightmares, and depictions of it were kept near the sleeper to ward off bad dreams, illness, and evil spirits (M.2013.19.1-.2).
It was in netsuke form that the creature appears most often in the history of Japanese art. This eighteenth-century example exhibits the telltale characteristics of the benevolent beast. The raised circular spots on its coat represent tufts of fur, and patches of hair grow at the back of its hind legs. Baku-form netsuke are found almost exclusively in ivory, and commonly carved in the round, or katabori style. For the carver, one of the challenges in designing a katabori-type netsuke was to create a composition that would be functional as well as attractive. The design needed to be compact with no protrusions that might be broken or catch the sleeve of a kimono. To ensure functionality, and to preserve as much of the expensive material as possible, carvers often distorted the subject, resulting in imaginative and abstract creations. Here, all the elements—head, tusk, trunk, tail—are twisted, curved, or curled to create an overall rounded form.
2024
