16 Netsuke


Netsuke of a Fox Disguised as a Buddhist Priest, signed Tomokazu, 18th century, ivory, gift of Mrs Virginia W Kettering, Dayton Art Institute


Netsuke of the Mythical Figures Ashinaga and Tenaga, signed Yasuaki, late 19th/early 20th century, ivory, pigment, coral, metal, inlay, gift of Mrs Virginia W Kettering, Dayton Art Institute Netsuke of a Scene with a Shape-shifting Tanuki, 19th century, ivory, gift of Mrs Virginia W Kettering, Dayton Art Institute Netsuke of a Sambaso Dancer, late 19th/early 20th century, ivory, wood, inlay. gift of Mrs Virginia W Kettering, Dayton Art Institute,


NETSUKE


During the Edo period (1615-1868), in the 17th to 19th centuries, netsuke were worn as part of a carrying system that originally formed part of a male kimono ensemble by members of the samurai class, as well as men from the chonin (townspeople) class. As the kimono was secured with an obi (sash), in order to carry small, personal, items sagemono (collective term for


utensils, writing


and the Art of Little Wonders Fine Art | Antiques | 20th


‘hanging things’, such as purses, smoking


cases,


medicine carriers and seals) they were suspended on cords that hung from the obi. Te purpose of netsuke was to help suspend these objects, including inro (small, nested container for medicine) from the obi of a man’s pocketless kimono, acting as a counter-weight for sagemono. Sagemono were connected through


a single cord that was threaded through a cord channel on one side of the suspended container and then through two holes (himotoshi) in the netsuke. Tis then threaded through the other side of the container and was knotted on the underside of the container. A decorative bead, ojime (sliding bead), moved along the cord between the netsuke and sagemono, allowing the user to open and close the container securely. Te wearer would slip


the netsuke


underneath so it then dangled over the obi, allowing the sagemono to hang suspended between waist and hip. In order to access the contents, say of the inro, the wearer simply slipped the netsuke behind the obi to liberate the ensemble. By sliding the ojime toward the netsuke, the contents of the container were easily accessible. Netsuke can be classified into five


general types – manju, ryusa, kagamibuta, sashi and katabori. Manju are round and flat (like the rice cake which has the same name) and decorated with etching or relief carving. Ryusa are classed as a variety of manju, hollowed out with deeply carved openwork. Te kagamibuta (mirror lid) is also usually round in shape and comes in two parts: a decorated lid, typically metal, and a bowl of ivory or wood that can also be


ASIAN ART | NOVEMBER 2022 |


Netsuke of Fujin (wind god), 19th century, wood, gift of Mrs Harry L Munger and Mrs Julia B McCoy, in memory of their aunt, Mrs Martha Perrine, Dayton Art Institute


and boar tusk) or wood. Popular woods used by the carvers included boxwood (tsuge), fruitwoods, cypress, and other conifers. Carvings styles and subject matter can also often be classed, as the schools tended to specialise in favourite subject matter and styles of carving. Groups of netsuke carvers developed in different regions of Japan, notably in Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Iwami, and later in Edo itself. Various carving techniques were


used to created different visual effects, such as enhancing the illusion of depth,


recreating intricate textile


patterns, and hair. Netsuke are often inlaid with other materials, such as tortoisehell, coral, amber, shell, or metal


Netsuke were a way to make a subtle and


often humorous fashion


statement


elaborately carved. Sashi netsuke are long and often have cord holes at one end, and was worn inside the obi. Perhaps the most interesting and most popular form is the katabori – figural netsuke. Tis form uses people or animals, usually carved in three- dimensions, including the bottom. Although many materials have


been used in the creation of netsuke, including horn, bone, metal, lacquer, black coral, ceramics, mother-of- pearl, tortoiseshell,


animal teeth,


amber, semi-precious and hardstones, glass, and nuts, around 80 percent were made out of either some sort of ivory (elephant, walrus, stag antler


#AsianArtPaper | asianartnewspaper | to create the desired effects,


such as eyes and other facial features. Ivory could also be stained, or painted, again used to enhance the overall design effect, create shadows, texture and contours. Ivory first seems to have been used


in the creation of netsuke during the 17th century, as a by-product of the shamisen


(stringed instrument)


industry, where the plectrum used for plucking the instrument was usually made out of ivory. As the popularity of netsuke and ojime grew in the 18th and 19th centuries, better quality ivory was also chosen for the luxury objects with the finest quality ivory coming from Siamese (Tai), or Annamese (Vietnamese) tusks. As the status of Edo and its citizens


rose, inro and netsuke also developed as a form of conspicuous consumption within a culture that imposed a rigid four-tiered social system with samurai at the top, followed by farmers who tilled the land, artisans who crafted material goods, and the merchants at the bottom (artisans and merchants classes were collectively referred to as chonin). Given that the merchants were economically better off than many members of the socially superior


samurai class inro and


netsuke allowed merchants to display their wealth without breaking any sumptuary laws that regulated the size of houses they could build or style of luxurious fabrics they could


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Netsuke of a Shamisen Player, late 19th/early 20th century, ivory, inlay, gift of Mrs Virginia W Kettering, Dayton Art Institute


Asian Art Newspaper


wear. Tese objects were often made of expensive, rare materials and bore the signature or seal of the carver or maker, become more markers of wealth rather than practical carrying devices. One netsuke in the display depicts


a ‘trickster’ animal, a tanuki – a popular choice for carvers. Other similar types of animals were the fox and the kappa, a vampire-like animal. Te kappa and fox were messengers of the Shinto gods, with the kappa representing the river god and the fox the god of rice and agriculture – Inari. Although these animals were affiliated with the gods, their behaviour was often destructive. Te fox was primarily a trickster and was feared the most because its spirit could possess a human and assume their form. Te tanuki was also a shape-shifter and played malicious, sometimes deadly, jokes. Another popular netsuke subject, a fox disguised as a priest, probably takes its inspiration from the play Tsurigitsune (Trapping of the Fox), that was part of a kyogen repertoire


–


performed repeatedly from the 1700s through the 1900s. It tells the tale of a fox that assumes the guise of the priest Hokuzosu to escape its hunters. Netsuke were also a way to make a


C. Design


subtle and often humorous fashion statement. People outside of the ruling samurai class, including the increasingly wealthy merchants, due to the sumptuary laws were restricted in how much luxury they could display. However, through such practical items such as netsuke, a certain degree of show and opulence was possible thus allowing netsuke to develop into imaginative works of art intricately


carved miniature


sculptures that could fit in your palm. Tis exhibition, at the Dayton Art


Institute, explores these ‘little wonders’ and their remarkable variety of subject matter that they depict from the popular culture of the time, from characters in folk tales and scenes of everyday life to monsters and a menagerie of animals.


• Until 12 February, 2023, Dayton Art Institute, Ohio, daytonartinstitute.org


WATCH


a lecture Netsuke: Journey


Across Time, Across Borders


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