Edo period (18th-19th century), signed Myochin Munenaga

With their intricate bending shell, claws and antennae, shrimp and lobster are ideal subject for the master jizai metal worker. The flexible body of the shrimp has the positive meaning of things going smoothly. The Japanese word for shrimp, ebi 海老, translates literally as “old man of the sea”, suggesting longevity.
Among Myochin artists, Myochin Munenaga is best known for his articulated iron models of hermit crabs and prawns like the present lot. For an articulated hermit crab signed by Munenaga in the British Museum, see Harada Kazutoshi, ed., Jizai okimono / Articulated Iron Figures of Animals, vol. 11 of Bessatsu Rokusho (Kyoto: Maria Shobo Co., Ltd., 2010), pl. 28.