Fugu (河豚) is the Japanese word for puffer fish. The fish can be lethally poisonous and the toxic liver must be carefully removed in order to avoid contaminating the meat. The preparation of fugu in restaurants is strictly controlled by law in Japan and only chefs who have had three or four years of rigorous training are allowed to prepare the very expensive fish which is served as sashimi, thin slices of raw fish meat. Some connoisseurs dare to add a very small amount of the poison to the meat which creates a special sensation but a small miscalculation can lead to death. The puffer fish blows itself up like a balloon when threatened but this netsuke shows a fugu in deflated condition. There is a signature which reads Jiang Xin (江信). Length 6.2 cm. Width 1.8 cm. Height 3.3 cm.