Netsuke of Fox Holding Baby and with Brush in Mouth from the Kabuki Play "Shinoda Zuma, Kuzonoha" | Japan | The Metropolitan Museum of Art - http://www.metmuseum.org/collect...
This Netsuke depicts one of the most popular fox legends, that of Kuzunoha, a fox disguised as a beautiful woman who married Abe no Yasuna after he rescued her from hunters. She is seen here, after her discovery as a fox, writing a farewell poem to her husband. She holds the brush in her mouth while embracing her baby. - Greg GuitarBuster