Wonders From the Far East

I have a lot of hobbies. I collect things. A lot of things. One of the things I collect is netsukes. Rather than try to explain what a netsuke is (and probably get it wrong), I will let someone else do it properly:

From the “International Netsuke Society” page:

"A netsuke is a form of miniature sculpture which developed in Japan over a period of more than three hundred years. Netsuke served both functional and aesthetic purposes. The kimono, the traditional form of Japanese dress, had no pockets. Women would tuck small personal items into their sleeves, but men suspended their tobacco pouches, pipes, purses, or writing implements on a silk cord from their obi (kimono sash). These hanging objects are called sagemono. To stop the cord from slipping through the obi, a small toggle was attached. The toggle is called a netsuke. (The most popular pronunciation is "net-ski", while the actual Japanese is closer to "netskeh"). A sliding bead (ojime) was strung on the cord between the netsuke and the sagemono to tighten or loosen the opening of the sagemono.
The entire ensemble was then worn, at the waist, and functioned as a sort of removable hip pocket. All three objects (the netsuke, the ojime and the different types of sagemono) were often beautifully decorated with elaborate carving, lacquer work, or inlays of rare and exotic materials, including: wood, ivory, precious metals, shell, coral, and semi-precious stones. All three items developed into highly coveted and collectible art forms. "

Leave it to the Japanese to turn something intended to be purely functional into a beautiful piece of art.

I get my netsukes from a variety of sources. I have found them on Ebay, online merchants, in Chinatown and once in a flea market. They are made of a variety of materials. Many of mine are boxwood, but I also have one of ironwood, two of ivory (pre-ban and mammoth) and the remainder are tagua nut, or vegetable ivory. This nut is the fruit of a palm tree and greatly resembles animal ivory when carved, but of course, does not require hunting of an animal in order to obtain it.





These are a few of my netsukes. There are also some stone carvings mixed in. Horses are a common theme, as I was born under the sign of the horse in the Chinese zodiac. I like all fat, round animals, so there are turtles, frogs, fish, owls…you get the idea. The animals are sometimes portrayed engaging in human activities, such as these arm-wrestling frogs.






One of my favorites is this little guy: the sumo frog. He is barely an inch tall. (He is actually an ojime bead.)

My newest netsuke is a whale. My little Moby came to me from China. I usually don’t save the mailing labels, but this one is particularly cool. He’s made of tagua nut and is one of my larger ones: almost two inches long.

As more and more work is done by machines, hand-carved objects may soon be things of the past. I hope not. I like to think I am doing my part by collecting these things and preserving and appreciating them as they were intended to be. At least, that’s how I justify doing it. :)