Featured Foo Dog/Lion Asian Carved Help Identifying Material, Age Purpose

I've had this bit for a while and made some assumptions. Wife has me working hard at the new property so I've not been buying or selling and rarely get to even check my emails right now. I was setting up some display cabinets and trying to decide what to place in them and chose this and a netsuki I need info on.

Regardless, this came out of a storage locker I purchased a number of years ago that was owned by a (deceased) asian antiquities dealer. I've sold everything that was in that unit except this little piece.

I believe it is a foo dog or foo lion. I would love to know what exactly this was intended for (opium pipe?) I assume the material is bone as I did not note the look of ivory on close inspection. The little round ball in the mouth is loose so was carved into place. Looks like it was used as a pipe. its very yellow and I assume part of that is from being used to smoke something, but I think part of that is age. Love to get some thoughts on this piece.

Thanks

 

This looks like an old and functional netsuki. Maybe the real deal.

You can see how one hole is much larger than the other. Kimonos did not have pockets, so the little necessities would be carried in a small bag or box (inro) suspended from the obi sash and secured from slipping away by the netsuki. A cord ran from the inro to the netsuki. The cord was fed through the small hole and then knotted on the end. The large hole accommodated the knot.

 

nut....?

 

Maybe antler, with that porous interior.

 

Definitely a shishi with the ball in its mouth. I would agree with antler or maybe even bone. Possibly even stained to look older as colour is very dark in areas not exposed to wear. himitoshi holes may be large due to the porosity of the material

 

I agree.
The staining also did something to the surface which seems to be gritty. I don't have it in hand, so I could be wrong.

 

It's quite smooth

 

Very nice! Thank you! I would never have known to look up "Shishi". I've had other carved bone items and I was thinking the material looked like bone, but I am like a jack of all trades and master of none. Not a lot of depth to my knowledge in a lot of areas I end up dabbling in.

Thanks for all of your input!

 

Oh, good.