Features of our beautiful netsuke:
- 100% Genuine Boxwood
- All handcrafted by Chinese masterssss, the carving is very
detail and wonderful workmanship.
- This item is 100% handmade. All materials we used are in
high quality. It is a good choice for netsuke collectors.
- Hundreds of designs available for one stop
resources.
About Netsuke:
Netsuke (根付) are miniature sculptures that were invented
in 17th-century Japan to serve a practical function (the two Japanese characters
ne+tsuke mean "root" and "to attach"). Traditional Japanese garments—robes
called kosode and kimono—had no pockets; however, men who wore them needed a
place to store their personal belongings, such as pipes, tobacco, money, seals,
ors medicines.
Their solution was to place such objects in containers
(called sagemono) hung by cords from the robes' sashes (obi). The containers may
have been pouches ors small woven baskets, but the most popular were beautifully
crafted boxes (inrō), which were held shut by ojime, which were sliding beads on
cords. Whatever the form of the container, the fastener that secured the cord at
the top of the sash was a carved, button-like toggle called a
netsuke.
Netsuke, like the inrō and ojime, evolved over time from
being strictly utilitarian into objects of great artistic merit and an
expression of extraordinary craftsmanship. Such objects have a long history
reflecting the important aspects of Japanese folklore and life. Netsuke
production was most popular during the Edo period in Japan, around
1615-1868.
Today, the art lives on, and some modern works can command
high prices in the UK, Europe, the USA, Japan and elsewhere. Inexpensive yet
faithful reproductions are available in museums and souvenir shops.