Netsuke: The Collection of a Lifetime. by Ed Martel “By looking at netsuke closely,” explains west, Japanese art was exhibited for the first Professor Bruno Werdelmann, a collector of time at world fairs in Paris in 1867 and then South East Asian art and in particular netsuke, Vienna in 1873, sparking avid western interest Further information. “one can discover Japanese culture with all its in everything Japanese. The small size and www.japancollection.com/pages/netsuke/net- customs, legends and fairy tales, almost a vast array of netsuke made them ideal items for suke.htm microcosm of Asia.” the collector, and at a time when netsuke were old and new netsuke for sale. Netsuke (pronounced ‘net-skeh’) began life in used less and less, it provided an opportunity www.worldcollectorsnet.com/netsuke Japan most likely during the sixteenth century, for the netsukeshi to remain in business. information on netsuke and details of netsuke and developed over the centuries to become Famous netsukeshi include Masanao of Kyoto, collectors. what is now one of the most popular and famous for his fukura suzume (good-luck spar- diverse East Asian collectables the world has rows) and Ono Ryomin of Tokyo. Amongst the www.netsuke.org seen. The subject matter varies greatly, from many categories netsuke designs fall into are information on netsuke and links. intricate carvings of children at play, to phallic figures from Chinese history, flora and fauna, symbols, to simple beads. Netsuke are most Japanese mythology, (noh) masks and people, www.tsu-ho.com commonly made from intricately carved wood occupations and activities. many good quality pictures of netsuke for or ivory, although early examples were some- Even today, netsuke are still made for the col- sale. times small squashes, roots or coral. lecting market. The range of netsuke on the The netsuke formed an important part of the page opposite, all of which were taken from www.antiques-info.co.uk our Price Guide databases and sold at auction free to subscribers to Antiques Info, our data- in the last few years, demonstrates the diverse bases hold thousands of pictures, prices and styles of the carvings as well as the vast differ- descriptions of Japanese items sold at UK ences in terms of price. Those dating from the auctions recent years. early to mid nineteenth century and before are rarer and therefore tend to fetch prices much higher than those made any later: difficult to A B define because of the rare occurrence of signa- Glossary A) 19th C, 10cm x 5.5cm. tures or stamps on netsuke. Furthermore, more Netsuke - an often intricately carved toggle Kagamibuta netsuke, cornelian intricate carvings usually command higher which stops the himo from slipping through ojime. B) 19th C, 8.8cm x prices than plain or simple netsuke; those hav- the obi. Ne - wood, tsuke - fastening. 8.3cm. Well-pulley netsuke. ing moving parts fetching higher prices still. (The Werdelmann Collection). Kimono - traditional Japanese clothing. popular Japanese male dress until the Meiji period (1867-1912) when the kimono and Kosode - traditional Japanese clothing, simi- kosode became less commonly worn in favour The World of Netsuke, lar in design to a long shirt. of western style clothing. The kimono having by Patrizia Jirka-Schmitz no pockets, the Japanese instead used a series Obi - a sash, usually wide, worn around the of small medicine boxes (inro), money (kin- kimono, from which the sagemono hang. chaku) or tobacco (tabako-ire) pouches, pipes and writing implements, collectively known as Sagemono - collective term for the objects sagemono. The sagemono were threaded onto hanging from the obi. a cord (himo) and fastened or loosened with a bead (ojime). The himo was then suspended Ojime - a sliding bead strung on to the sash from the waist sash (obi), and kept in place by between the netsuke and sagemono, tightens the netsuke, which itself roughly translates as or loosens, to open or close the sagemono. ‘wood fastening’. One of the world’s most outstanding netsuke The netsuke is thought to originate from work- collections is the Werdelmann Collection at Netsukeshi - carvers of Netsuke. men who, wanting to find a way to have their the museum kunst palast Düsseldorf with tools to hand, would tie the tool to a root and almost 1100 objects, the result of thirty five Katabori - a form of netsuke, carved to repre- secure it in place under the obi. The populari- years of collecting and thus a unique survey sent figures. ty of the netsuke in Japan began to take off of this Japanese art from the seventeenth to considerably from the eighteenth century, the twentieth century. Sashi - a long, narrow netsuke. mainly as tobacco smoking became an accept- Each object is reproduced in brilliant colour ed custom. Around this period, it was a com- photographs and described according to the kinchaku - money pouch worn on the himo. mon ritual to begin a business meeting with a most recent scholarly research. An extensive smoke, and one’s netsuke was a form of status list of signatures and carvers with commen- himo - the cord, often of silk, which hangs symbol: the more intricate and sought after the tary rounds off the publication. from the netsuke and holds the ojime, sage- design, the more valuable the piece, and there- mono and inro. fore the more powerful its owner. (352 pages, 683 illustrations in colour with In 1781, Inaba Tsûryû published the Soken 1070 objects, 407 illustrations of inscriptions tabako-ire - tobacco pouch worn on the himo. Kisho. This eight volume work contained and marks). inro - a small medicine box or case. details of some fifty three netsukeshi, or net- suke carvers, and is reported to be the first kagamibuta - a type of netsuke with a mirror written record of netsuke. Less than one hun- fitted into a bowl shape. dred years later, as Japan began to open to the ANTIQUES INFO - July/August 05 1 7 12 17 22

Late 19thC carved ivory net- suke, in the form of a seated man with a lantern, floral engraving to back, two char- acter mark, 1.25in high. Another of a seated rotund Amber netsuke carved as a Ivory netsuke, Meiji, two man with a young boy, floral cat, 1.5in. Gorringes, Lewes. playful boys, one seated engraved back, 1in high. Two Feb 01. £110. upon the other’s back, others. Diamond Mills & Co, signed, 1.75in. Japanese ivory netsuke, 18th Felixstowe. Dec 04. £90. 8 Gorringes, Lewes. Japanese carved ivory net- Century, of a figure of a 2 Mar 03. £180. suke of a dragon faced war- Dutchman standing with a rior holding sword, standing curly wig under his tasselled, on a dome, with a snake wide brimmed hat, dressed in 13 coiled round. The base with a long coat and breeches, Group of seven signed two character mark.4.5cm holding a cockerel with both Japanese coloured ivory net- high. Rosebery’s, London. hands, signed on the back suke, all representing differ- Sep 04. £280. leg, 7.5cm. Sworders, ent pursuits, 2in. Gorringes, Stansted Mountfitchet. Lewes. Dec 03. £95. 18 Feb 05. £1,050. Early 20th century Japanese 3 ivory netsuke carved as a 23 noh mask, 2in. Gorringes, East Sussex. Mar 02. £110. Japanese ivory netsuke carved as a rat on a skull, 1.5in. Gorringes, Lewes. 9 Jun 03. £180. Ivory netsuke, Meiji, artisan Masanao, late 18thC ivory Japanese ivory netsuke, 14 grinder, his kimono with netsuke carved as a boar carved as a monkey with engraved detail, signed 1in. reclining on a bed of leaves hatching eagle egg, 1.75in. Gorringes, Lewes. coiling around the larger of Gorringes, Lewes. Mar 03. £300. the himotoshi, signed on red Sep 04. £95. Group of ivory netsuke, Meiji coral tablet, 5.5cm wide. Cheffins, Cambridge. and Taisho, ivory 19 4 Fukurokoju, 2.75in, elephant, Apr 04. £1,300. 1in and man with barrel, 2.75in. Wood netsuke of seat- Ivory netsuke, Meiji, father 24 ed man, 1.5in and an ivory and son at play, father wear- study of maternal monkey ing engraved kimono, signed, group, 1.5in. Gorringes, 1.25in. Three ivory netsuke, Meiji, Lewes. Mar 03. £140. Gorringes, Lewes. 19th Century carved wood seated shishi, 1.25in, fisher- Mar 03. £200. netsuke of a recumbent cow, man with pipe, 1.5in (rod 10 6cm. Sworders, Stansted missing) and seated lady, 15 Mountfitchet. Nov 04. £400. Toyomasa, mid 19th Century, 1.25in. Gorringes, Lewes. a fine and rare Tamba Mar 03. £100. School wood netsuke of sea 20 life, including a carp and crayfish, the details boldly 5 carved and with a good pol- ish, 5.5cm signed Toyomasa carved oval. Sworders, Japanese ivory netsuke of a Stansted Mountfitchet. seated couple, 1.5in, a pair Nov 04. £1,500. of ivory figures of hotei, 1in Ivory netsuke, Meiji, two rats An ivory netsuke, Meiji, three on an engraved fan, signed, and another of figures with mythological characters and (one eye missing) 2in long. 25 an ox, 2in. Gorringes, East shishi, signed, 2ins Ivory netsuke of a hare and a Sussex. Mar 02. £160. Gorringes, Lewes. leveret, carved in a crouch- Gorringes, Lewes. Mar 03. £750. ing position, signed, 1.75in. Mar 03. £240. Gorringes, Lewes. 11 21 Jun 03. £100. 16

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Two Japanese hardwood net- Wood netsuke of two toads, A Japanese ivory netsuke 19thC Japanese ivory net- suke, carved as a rat and two Yamada School, 19thC, Japanese ivory clam netsuke, carved with a Buddha and suke carved as Kinko reading gourds Gorringes, Lewes. signed Masakatsu, signature and four others. two small figures 1.5in. as he rides a giant carp Jul 04. £260. to base, 5cm. Henry Adams, Gorringes, Lewes. Gorringes, Lewes. through the waves, 5.5cm. Chichester. Sep 02. £950. Jan 05. £100. Jun 03. £170. Cheffins, Cambridge. Apr 04. £1,700. ANTIQUES INFO - July/August 05