Komada Ryushi: Tradition and Novation in Japanese Netsuke Art

The article considers the work of Komada Ryushi, an outstanding Japanese carver, whose many years of activity represent the development of miniature sculpture in Japan in the second half of the 20th – early 21th centuries. A third-generation hereditary carver, Ryushi embodies the tradition of ivory carving using the hidari-ba technique and at the same time is one of those masters who revived and brought to a new level the art of miniature sculpture in the field of netsuke. Representative works of different years are systematized and identified, the plot and thematic repertoire and the master’s approaches to the development of female images are analyzed; the creative achievements, long-term pedagogical and cultural work of Komada Ryushi, his contribution to the revival of netsuke as a field of miniature plastic art are highlighted, and attention is focused on his international activities. The article reflects the gradual transition from traditional plots and images of netsuke to the development of his own, unique models, marked by a variety of types, conveying characters and emotional states, convincing representation of movements and expressive plastic modelling; it is emphasized that the consistent development of female images is a significant contribution to the art of netsuke and is comparable in its quality and scale to the creative achievements of outstanding masters of classical engraving. The results and materials of the research can be helpful in developing conceptual approaches to the study of Japanese sculpture and decorative arts, can be used in the creative practice of artists, in the attribution of samples of miniature plastic art and the development of exposition approaches, exhibition, competition and festival projects.