Netsuke

Netsuke are small Japanese sculptural carvings that were initially used as clothing accessories. They depicted a wide variety of subjects, from animals to religious figures. Netsuke were used to secure small pouches, called inrō, that carried small items one might put in a pocket today. Today in Japan, many people decorate their cell phones with tiny netsuke-like charms, depicting anything from favorite foods to favorite anime characters. Do you have any accessories that show your favorite pastimes or characters?

Name	Description	Object ID
Netsuke	This miniature ivory netsuke features a man seated cross-legged and holding a battledore (hagoita) in his left hand (he may hold a shuttlecock in his right hand). He wears a kimono with plant and cross-hatched decorations. There are several other objects strewn about...	AB 1057
Netsuke	This lacquered wooden netsuke features a pair of komainu, or lion dogs, that are coiled together, one guarding a sacred jewel between its paws. According to customary depictions of komainu, one of the pair has an open mouth and the other a closed mouth, though both...	AB 211.1
Netsuke	This carved ivory netsuke represents a samurai riding a horse and accompanied by three other figures. The samurai carries a sword and a purse with green buttons. The horse, covered in a delicately patterned cloth featuring two Japanese characters (on the right side "...	AB 220
Netsuke	This small ivory netsuke features three figures wearing patterned kimono on a platform with large leaves. One of the figures, standing at the rear on the right side, is carrying a basket on the end of pole. Another figure, standing on the left side, is an anthropomorphic...	AB 223
Netsuke	This small netsuke depicts Jurōjin, the God of Longevity from the Daoist Seven Gods of Fortune, sitting on the back of a spotted deer. Jurōjin has his characteristically enlarged, bald head with swollen earlobes and a long beard; he holds open the scroll on...	AB 226
Netsuke	This small ivory netsuke represents a man in a loincloth, kneeling on one knee and holding a block, with a mouse on his back. The man's head is turned to the right, his mouth open and his eyebrows raised, and his ribs are showing in his back and muscles in his arms. The mouse is...	AB 228
Netsuke	This small ivory netsuke represents a man wearing a conical hat and leading a horse by a rope. The man's posture is hunched. They are both standing on a platform carved to look like the ground. The horse is wearing a patterned blanket and a bridle.	AB 230
Netsuke	This netsuke features several miniature masks carved from ivory. The seven masks, connected to each other somewhat haphazardly, represent oni (demons): some have horns and fangs, for example, while most of them have somewhat grotesque expressions and features. Some of the...	AB 36 d
Netsuke	This small ivory netsuke features two men and an oni (demon). One of the men is partially submerged in a round bathtub, his arms holding one side. The other man stands at the side of the bath, wearing shorts and grasping the edge of the tub with his right hand. He is holding a...	AB 852 c
Netsuke	This small ivory netsuke may have functioned as the top for a perfume bottle. The carving represents three oni (demons) wearing patterned shorts. The oni on the left is bent over, holding a large cylindrical bowl. The oni in the middle is scratching his head...	AB 852 s1
Mennetsuke	This small mennetsuke-style ivory netsuke features a mask of an old man's face. The man has a wrinkled brow and cheeks, and his mouth is laughing. He has a long mustache and a beard that curls up onto the reverse side of the mask. The artist's signature is on the back. This is...	AB 925 s1
Netsuke	This miniature ivory netsuke represents two older men who are partly bald. The men are seated one behind the other, one holding his abnormally long legs folded in front of him, and the other putting his abnormally long arms on the shoulders of the first. They are made of white ivory...	AB 926 a
Netsuke	This small ivory netsuke represents a monkey holding a garland of fruit. The monkey props itself up on its elbows and knees, leaning its head against the fruit. The top half of the netsuke is completed, but the bottom half is unfinished.	AB 926 d
Netsuke	This miniature wood netsuke represents two figures. One is a bearded, grumpy-looking old man, half reclining with head on hand and wearing a floral patterned kimono. An open book lies beside him and two other books lie at his side by his foot. Standing behind him is an oni...	AB 927 a
Netsuke Beads	This thin gold cord is strung with four miniature netsuke beads and tied in a knot at the bottom. The carvings consist of (from bottom to top): a brown mouse curled up in a ball with its tail wrapped around itself; a round-faced, pudgy child with his arms and legs wrapped around the...	AB XX 59
Pomegranate Netsuke	This carved wooden netsuke takes the shape of a pomegranate. It has a bulbous shape with a puckered opening at the bottom and one side is "cut" open to reveal the pomegranate seeds inside. The pomegranate grows from a small branch next two two pairs of leaves.	AB XX 61

Collections