Wooden netsuke with monkeys around a mandarin orange, Japan, 19th century Of the katabori type, one of the monkeys sits on the top of the fruit and brings his hand to his mouth, while the second appears as if at a window, in a gnawed part of the fruit forming a cavity. The himotoshi are placed on either side of a leaf on the fruit's tail. The ever-playful "saru" monkeys are not without inspiration when it comes to playing or hiding, and the Japanese use these characteristics to depict them in an amusing way. Unsigned. H. 3.4 cm