old woodblock print and foo dog netsuke
 

I found this old woodblock print last week. I know I've seen that little boy warrior character before but can't remember who he is. As I remember, he came to Japan through Chinese mythology, but I could be mistaken. And what's the story here with the battle axe banner?

Also, does anyone know who the artist might be?

Also, this ivory netsuke I've had for a long time. The only foo dog I've ever seen that seems to be cowering. I believe the name on the bottom translates as "three fields." (It's three horizontal bars and a square with cross inside that looks like a four-paned window.)

Is this artist a somebody or a nobody?

Thanks.

KINTARO

This netsuke is a baddly executed Chinese tourist souvenir reproduction. The signature is meaningless, just a way to charge more money.

What? You're telling me the Chinese make fakes?

(thanks)

Was that sarcasm?

There's loads of cheap antique knock-offs from china and elsewhere knocking around. The literal translation of the kanji is as you say, but it has a multitude of legitimate readings as people names and place names. Still, the whole carving looks a little sloppy to me, I don't think the quality is that great.

Certainly not so usual to see this kind of dog in Japanese art though. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a peke-type dog in traditional Japanese art before, least not that I remember.

I don't know it is a "peke-type" dog or not. But it's called Komainu in Japanese.
Komainu - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
So usual in shrine and temples.
Fan sight
http://komainu.org/
And Komainu netsuke is not rare in Japan.

If chinese made the Komainu netsuke,I don't think it is a "fake".It's a just cheap souvenir.
KOMAINU (with Buddhism) ROAD
India→China→Korean Peninsula→Japan.

三田Sanda, Hyōgo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In sanda,Porcelains had been made from 1801~1941.It's called 三田焼(sanda yaki)
Before WW2,it is not so unusual to export Porcelains from Japan to West.not necessary high quality .
I'm not sure the netsuke was made in Sanda.But I think it is not a strange guess.