View source for Netsuke

{{Short description|Type of bead used to secure an inro in one's belt}}
{{Italic title}}
[[File:Ivory netsuke of the Hare with Amber Eyes 2.JPG|thumb|[[The Hare with Amber Eyes]] {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}, by Masatoshi, Osaka, {{circa|1880}}, signed. Ivory, amber buffalo horn]]
A {{nihongo||[[wikt:根付|根付]]|'''netsuke'''|extra={{IPAc-ja|ne|tsu|*|ke}}}} is a miniature sculpture, originating in 17th century [[Japan]]. Initially a simply-carved button fastener on the cords of an {{transliteration|ja|[[inrō]]}} box, {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} later developed into ornately sculpted objects of craftsmanship.<ref name ="saip86">Yuji Yamashita (2014), ''Meiji no saimitsu kogei''. pp. 86-87. 
[[Heibonsha]] {{ISBN|978-4582922172}}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:印籠-Inro with Design of Eulalia Grass and Deer.jpg|thumb|An ivory {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} with an eagle design and an {{transliteration|ja|inrō}} with a deer design. The combination of {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} and {{transliteration|ja|inrō}} creates a story of an eagle preying on deer. [[Edo period]], 18th century]]

Traditionally, Japanese clothing – first the {{transliteration|ja|[[kosode]]}} and its later evolution, the [[kimono]] – did not have pockets. Though the sleeves of the kimono could be used to store small items, the men who wore kimono needed a larger and stronger container in which to store personal belongings, such as pipes, tobacco, money and seals, resulting in the development of containers known as {{transliteration|ja|[[wikt:sagemono|sagemono]]}}, which were hung by cords from the robes' sashes ({{transliteration|ja|[[obi (sash)|obi]]}}).

These containers may have been pouches or small woven baskets, but the most popular were crafted boxes ({{transliteration|ja|inrō}}) held shut by {{transliteration|ja|[[ojime]]}}, sliding beads on cords. Whatever the form of the container, the fastener which secured the cord at the top of the sash was a carved, button-like toggle called a {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}. {{transliteration|ja|Netsuke}}, like {{transliteration|ja|inrō}} and {{transliteration|ja|ojime}}, evolved over time from being strictly utilitarian into objects of great artistic merit and an expression of extraordinary craftsmanship. {{transliteration|ja|Netsuke}} production was most popular during the [[Edo period]] (1603–1867).<ref name ="saip86"/>

{{transliteration|ja|Netsuke}} and {{transliteration|ja|[[inrō]]}} declined as Japanese clothes were gradually westernized from the [[Meiji (era)|Meiji period]] (1868–1912). Because of their popularity amongst Western collectors at the time, some of the greatest collections are now found outside of Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=International Netsuke Society - FAQ |url=https://www.netsuke.org/page-1125375 |access-date=2023-08-12 |website=www.netsuke.org}}</ref>

Today, the production of {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} continues, and some modern {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} can command high prices in the UK, Europe, the US, Japan and elsewhere.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}} Inexpensive yet faithful reproductions are available in museums and souvenir shops.

== Etymology ==
The term {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} is formed from the characters {{nihongo3|meaning 'base'|[[wikt:根|根]]|ne}} and {{nihongo3|meaning 'attached'|[[wikt:付|付]]|tsuke}}.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} In [[American English]], the word is usually italicized, while it is usually unitalicized in [[British English]].<ref>[http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nets/hd_nets.htm "Netsuke: From Fashion Fobs to Coveted Collectibles"], [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]</ref><ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/n/netsuke-inro/ "Netsuke & Inro"], [[Victoria & Albert Museum]]</ref>{{original research inline|date=May 2024}}

== Forms ==
[[Image:Netsuke-p1030001.jpg|thumb|Drawing of a man wearing an {{transliteration|ja|[[inrō]]}} supported by a {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} passed through the ties of his {{transliteration|ja|[[hakama]]}}.]]

{{glossary}}
{{term|Anabori-netsuke|{{Nihongo3|or "hollowed {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}"|穴彫根付|Anabori-netsuke}}}}
{{defn|Subset of {{transliteration|ja|katabori}} which are carved out for a hollow center. Clams are most commonly the motifs for this type of {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}.}}

{{term|Kagamibuta-netsuke|{{nihongo3|or "mirror-lid {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}"|鏡蓋根付|Kagamibuta-netsuke}}}}
{{defn|Shaped like a {{transliteration|ja|manjū}}, but with a metal disc serving as a lid to a shallow bowl, usually of ivory. The metal is often highly decorated with a wide variety of metallurgical techniques.}}

{{term|Karakuri-netsuke|{{Nihongo3|or "trick/mechanism {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}"|からくり根付|Karakuri-netsuke}}}}
{{defn|Any {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} that has moving parts or hidden surprises.}}

{{term|Katabori-netsuke|{{nihongo3|or "sculpture {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}"|形彫根付|Katabori-netsuke}}}}
{{defn|This is the most common type of {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}. They are compact three-dimensional figures carved in a round shape and are usually around one to three inches high.}}

{{term|Manjū-netsuke|{{nihongo||饅頭根付|Manjū-netsuke}}}}
{{defn|A thick, flat, round {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}, with carving usually done in [[relief]], sometimes made of two ivory halves. Shaped like a {{transliteration|ja|[[manju (food)|manjū]]}} bun, a Japanese confection.}}

{{term|Men-netsuke|{{Nihongo3|or "mask {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}"|面根付|Men-netsuke}}}}
{{defn|The largest category after {{transliteration|ja|katabori}}. These were often imitations of full-size [[Noh]] masks and share characteristics in common with both {{transliteration|ja|katabori}} and {{transliteration|ja|manjū/kagamibuta}}.}}

{{term|Obi-hasami|{{transliteration|ja|Obi-hasami}}}}
{{defn|Another elongated {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} with a curved top and bottom. It sits behind the {{transliteration|ja|obi}} with the curved ends visible above and below the {{transliteration|ja|obi}}.}}

{{term|Ryūsa-netsuke|{{nihongo||柳左根付|Ryūsa-netsuke}}}}
{{defn|Shaped like a {{transliteration|ja|[[wikt:manjū|manjū]]}}, but carved like lace, so that light is transmitted through the item.}}

{{term|Sashi-netsuke|{{nihongo||差根付|Sashi-netsuke}}}}
{{defn|This is an elongated form of {{transliteration|ja|katabori}}, literally "stab" {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}, similar in length to the sticks and gourds used as improvised {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} before carved pieces were produced. They are about {{convert|6|in}} long.}}
{{glossary end}}

<gallery perrow="7" widths="180px" heights="180px">
Image:KataboriNetsuke.jpg|{{transliteration|ja|Katabori-netsuke}} front and rear view with two holes for cord
Image:AnaboriNetsuke.jpg|{{transliteration|ja|Anabori-netsuke}}
Image:MaskNetsuke.jpg|Mask {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}
Image:RyusaNetsuke.jpg|{{transliteration|ja|Ryūsa-netsuke}}
Image:ManjuNetsuke.jpg|{{transliteration|ja|Manjū-netsuke}}
Image:KagamibutaNetsuke.jpg|{{transliteration|ja|Kagamibuta-netsuke}}
Image:TrickNetsuke.jpg|Trick {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}
Image:Obihasami.jpg|{{transliteration|ja|Obi-hasami sashi-netsuke}}
</gallery>

== Materials ==
[[File:Miyasaka Hakuryu II - Tigress with Two Cubs - Walters 71909.jpg|thumb|{{transliteration|ja|Netsuke}} of tigress with two cubs, mid-19th century, ivory with shell inlay]]
* [[Ivory]] – the most common material used before ivory from live animals became illegal. {{transliteration|ja|Netsuke}} made from [[mammoth]] ivory (huge quantities still exist in the Near East and Siberia) fill part of the tourist trade demand today.
* [[Buxus|Boxwood]], other [[hardwood]]s – popular materials in Edo Japan and still used today
* [[Metal]] – used as accents in many {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} and {{transliteration|ja|kagamibuta}} lids
* [[Hippopotamus]] tooth – used today in lieu of ivory
* Boar [[tusk]] – mostly used by Iwami carvers
* [[Rhinoceros]] horn
* [[Clay]]/[[porcelain]]
* [[Lacquer]]
* [[Arundo|Cane]] (woven)

===Unusual materials===
* [[Hornbill ivory]]: of the many species of hornbill, only the [[helmeted hornbill]] (''Rhinoplax vigil'') furnishes an ivory-like substance. This is a dense, carvable substance that makes up the solid casque growing above the upper mandible (from the bird's forehead). It is not ivory, horn, nor bone, yet it has been called ivory for many centuries. It is softer than real ivory and is a creamy yellow in color, becoming red at the top and sides.<ref name="INS conference">2005 INS conference Burt Drexler lecture, unless otherwise noted</ref>
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Umimatsu]]}}: a species of [[black coral]] with dense texture, concentric growth rings, and amber and reddish colored inclusions in the black material. According to Michael Birch, "the literal translation of {{transliteration|ja|umimatsu}} is 'sea pine', and it is also popularly described as 'black coral'. True coral, however, is a hard calcareous substance secreted by marine polyps for habitation. {{transliteration|ja|Umimatsu}}, on the other hand is a colony of keratinous antipatharian marine organisms."<ref>Lazarnick, George "Netsuke & Inro Artists, and How to Read Their Signatures", page 1361, Reed Publishers, 1981</ref>
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Umoregi]]}}: there are several definitions, some contradictory: According to Bushell, "{{transliteration|ja|Umoregi}} is a partially fossilized wood, having the general appearance of ebony but showing no grain." Often called fossilized wood, {{transliteration|ja|umoregi}} is not properly a wood, but a "jet" (a variety of [[lignite]]), that is often confused with ebony. It is a shiny material that takes an excellent polish, but it has a tendency to split. {{transliteration|ja|Umoregi}} is petrified wood formed when [[Cedar wood|cedar]] and [[pine]] trees from the [[Tertiary period|Tertiary Age]] (5 million years ago) were buried underground and then carbonized. The layers of earth where {{transliteration|ja|umoregi-zaiku}} can be found extend under the [[Aobayama]] and [[Yagiyama]] sections of [[Sendai]], Japan. Pieces made from this material are generally dark brown with a beautiful wood grain and the soft luster of lacquer.
* [[Walrus]] tusk: walrus have two large [[tusk]]s (elongated canine teeth) projecting downward from the upper jaw. These tusks, often reaching two feet in length, have been extensively carved as ivory for centuries in many countries and especially in Japan. Walrus tusk carvings are usually easy to identify, because much of the interior of the tooth is filled with a mottled, almost translucent substance that is harder and more resistant to carving than the rest of the tooth. {{transliteration|ja|Manjū}}, especially {{transliteration|ja|ryūsa manjū}}, invariably show this translucent material at opposite edges of the {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}.
* [[Baleen]]: the [[sperm whale]] has teeth running the whole length of its enormous lower jaw. Those in the middle tend to be the largest, often obtaining a length of more than six to eight inches. These larger ones are often used by carvers of [[scrimshaw]].
* Whale's [[bone]]: all bones are hollow, the cavity being filled with a spongy material. Cuts across some bone show a pattern of minute holes looking like dark dots. Lengthwise, such bone displays many narrow channels which appear to be dark lines of varying lengths. Polished, bone is more opaque and less shiny than ivory.
* Teeth: a variety of other teeth are used for {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}, including: [[Wild boar|boar]]s', [[bear]]s', and even [[tiger]]s'.
[[Image:Walnut Netsuke.JPG|thumb|upright|Walnut {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} (approx. 17th century)]]
* [[Tagua nut]]: the nut from the [[ivory palm]] (''[[Phytelephas aequatorialis]]''), often referred to as vegetable ivory. Part of the nut's shell sometimes remains on {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} carvings. Though often mistaken for or deceptively sold as elephant ivory, items made from the two-to-three-inch nut have none of the striations common to animal ivory, and sometimes the ivory-like nut flesh has a light yellow cast under a rough coconut-shell-like external covering. The nut is very hard when dry, but easily worked into artistic items when wet.
* [[Walnut]] (or {{transliteration|ja|kurumi}} – natural walnut shell): in the above photo, a rare example of the {{transliteration|ja|kataborinetsuke}} style, the meat from the nut was removed by various means, one being the insertion of a small worm in a hole in the nut to consume the meat. Following that, elaborate designs were carved, and the string inserted. The carver often removed all of the nut's normal surface features and carved through the surface in places to create a latticed effect. Once carved, the resulting {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} was polished and shellacked.
* [[Bamboo]]: "bamboo (''Iyo bamboo'') is used for {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}. Bamboo {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} are either a piece of the stem or the root with carving on it."<ref>Yuzuru Okada, "Netsuke A Miniature Art of Japan", page 54, Japan Travel Bureau, 1951</ref> According to Bernard Rosett:<ref>Rosett, (14/2 :40-44)</ref> "carvings in the round are usually made from the underground stem of the plant, that small almost solid zone that connects to the creeping rhizome below the ground. Bamboo {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} are not commonly encountered. Occasionally, one comes across a {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} fashioned from bamboo root and can revel in the wonderful texture and patina of the material."
* [[Agate]]: a mineral, streaked with many colors, and which can be given a high polish.
* Ivorine: a material made from the dust created when carving legally obtained new ivory, mammoth ivory, tusks, and teeth, which is then mixed with a clear [[resin]] and compressed as it hardens. This was one of the many solutions to the demand of the tourist market trade for {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} carvings after trade in new ivory became illegal. Once hard and dry, ivorine can be carved in exactly the same way as ivory. Though often deceptively sold to the modern tourist trade as elephant ivory, items made from ivorine have none of the striations common to animal ivory, though sometimes, the carving is artificially aged to have the yellowed appearance common to true old ivory carvings.

== Subjects ==
Like many other art forms, {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} reflect the nature of the society that produced them. This effect is particularly pronounced in {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}, owing to long periods of isolation imposed both by geography and internal politics and limited avenues of self-expression for Japanese citizens due to custom and law.<ref>Okada, Barbra "Japanese Netsuke and Ojime From the Herman and Paul Jaehne Collection of the Newark Museum", pages 3-4</ref><ref>Bushell, Raymond "The Netsuke Handbook of Ueda Reikichi", pages 25-26, Charles E. Tuttle, 1961</ref><ref>Sadao, Tsuneko S. and Wada, Stephanie "Discovering the Arts of Japan, A Historical Overview", page 202 and page 234, Kodansha International, 2003</ref> As a result, {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} display every aspect of Japanese culture, including its rich folklore and religion, crafts, trades, and professions, all types of people and creatures, both real and imagined, and every kind of object. As in other aspects of Japanese culture, the subjects portrayed by {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} trend, over the long term, away from an initial emphasis on motifs of Chinese derivation toward a focus on objects of more strictly national interest.<ref>F.M. Jonas, "Netsuke" page 44, J.L. Thompson & Co., 1928</ref>
* People – famous and anonymous, current, historical, real and fictitious, children, warriors, priests, etc.
* Craft, trades, professions – often depicting actions (fishermen catching fish, woodcutters cutting wood), or examples (i.e., a stylized apple for an orchardist or apple merchant)<ref>F.M. Jonas, "Netsuke", J.L. Thompson & Co., 1928</ref>
* Animals – zodiac animals and others. It is worth noting that traditional {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} style depicts octopus figures as having a tube-like siphon protruding from the "face", similar to a mouth. If one examines closely, one will find that some octopuses have nine tentacles instead of eight. These [[octopus#Etymology and pluralisation|octopuses]] will usually be found embracing beautiful women.
* Plants or plant products – small ones, such as beans or chestnuts, are often carved actual size.
* Deities and mythical creatures – often from Chinese mythology and religion, and [[Seven Lucky Gods]], are the seven gods of good fortune in Japanese mythology and folklore.
* Non-living things – the smallest category. Common examples include roof tiles, coins, and tools.
* Abstract – {{transliteration|ja|[[mon (emblem)|mon]]}} patterns and other designs.
* Sexual – {{transliteration|ja|[[shunga]] netsuke}} may depict a male and female in sexual conjugation or may contain only subtle or symbolic sexual references.

Some {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} represent single, simple, objects, and some depict entire scenes from history, mythology, or literature.{{clear}}
<gallery perrow="7" widths="160" heights="160">
File:Buddhist Jewel of Wisdom Carved with Mountain Pavilions LACMA M.91.250.224.jpg|Jewel of Wisdom carved with mountain pavilions. Stained ivory
File:ChristNetsukeIvory17thcenturyJapan.jpg|{{transliteration|ja|[[Kirishitan]] netsuke}} depicting [[Christ]], 17th century
File:Dragons on Gong LACMA AC1998.249.165.jpg|Dragons on gong
File:Giappone, periodo edo, netsuke a forma di balla di paglia e topolini, XIX sec.JPG|Mouse on barrel
File:Ivory netsuke with sitting boy, Honolulu Academy of Arts.JPG|Ivory {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} with sitting boy
File:Netsuke with Fukurokuju, Benten and boy, Honolulu Museum of Art.JPG|[[Fukurokuju]], [[Benten]] and boy
File:Ivory netsuke, in the form of a skeleton leaning on a corn stalk-3.jpg|alt=white netsuke in the form of a skeleton, leaning|Ivory {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}, in the form of a skeleton, 18th to 19th century
</gallery>

== Artists ==
[[File:Masanao-kyoto-rat-netsuke.png|thumb|Carved {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} of a sleeping rat, made out of ivory, by Masanao of Kyoto]]
Carvers of {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} are called {{transliteration|ja|netsuke-shi}}.
{{visible anchor|Sōken Kishō|text={{nihongo||装劍奇賞|Sōken Kishō}}}} is the earliest compilation of {{transliteration|ja|netsuke-shi}}, which lists over 50 {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} masters. It was published in Osaka in 1781 by Inaba Tsūryū.<ref>{{cite book |author=Barbra Teri Okada |title=Netsuke: Masterpieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art |year=1982 |publisher=Harry N. Abrams |location=New York |pages=14 |quote= | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uNhpX4fWnbIC |isbn=0870992732 }}</ref> Some works of art are even illustrated in it.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~mystudy/kikite/bunken/souken/souken.htm | title=装劍奇賞 }}</ref>

One of the most renowned artists during the Edo period was the founder of the [[Nagoya]] school, {{nihongo|[[Tametaka]]|為隆}}, who is listed in the {{transliteration|ja|Sōken Kishō}}.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://hermitage.artclub.one/en/projects/Japanese-netsuke/Tametaka-Goat | title=Tametaka Goat }}</ref> He was followed in Nagoya by {{nihongo|[[Ikkan]]|一貫}}.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1981-0808-107 | title=Netsuke &#124; British Museum }}</ref> His pieces can be found in many collections and achieve high prices at auctions.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21100/lot/5/ | title=Bonhams : A wood netsuke of a rat by Ikkan, Nagoya, 19th century }}</ref>
[[File:Squid, vase and barnacles. 19th Century netsuke. Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm..jpg|thumb|Octopus, octopus pot and barnacles. 19th century netsuke. [[Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm]].]]
The listed masters in the {{transliteration|ja|Sōken Kishō}} are:<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~mystudy/kikite/bunken/souken/soukenyaku.htm | title=装劍奇賞 }}</ref>
* {{nihongo|Hōgen Shūzan|法眼周山}}
* {{nihongo|Unju Tōshumemaru|雲樹洞院幣丸}}
* {{nihongo|Ogasawara Isai|小笠原一斎}}
* {{nihongo|Miwa|三輪}}
* {{nihongo|Waryū|和流}}
* {{nihongo|Myōgaya Seishichi|荷屋清七}}
* {{nihongo|Kurobē|九郎兵衛}}
* {{nihongo|Negoro Sōkyū|根来宗休}}
* {{nihongo|Tatsuki Kanzō|龍木勘蔵}}
* {{nihongo|Mata Uemon|又有衛門}}
* {{nihongo|Unpo Kajun|雲浦可順}}
* {{nihongo|Minkō|岷江/花押}}
* {{nihongo|Haruchika|春周}}
* {{nihongo|Tomotada|友忠}}
* {{nihongo|Kanjūrō|勘十郎}}
* {{nihongo|Tawaraya Denbē|田原屋傳兵衛}}
* {{nihongo|Garaku|我楽}}
* {{nihongo|[[Tametaka]]|為隆}}
* {{nihongo|Kawai Yoritake|河井頼武}}
* {{nihongo|Sōtaka Heishirō|草荏平四郎}}
* {{nihongo|Hōgen Shūgetsu|法眼舟月}}
* {{nihongo|Hōshin|奉真}}
* {{nihongo|Satake Sōshichi|佐武宗七}}
* {{nihongo|Ryūsa|柳左}}
* {{nihongo|Kōyōken Yoshinaga|廣葉軒吉長}}
* {{nihongo|Jūzō|十蔵}}
* {{nihongo|Shibata Ichibē|柴田市郎兵衛}}
* {{nihongo|[[Masanao of Kyoto|Masanao]]|正直}}
* {{nihongo|Okatomo|岡友}}
* {{nihongo|Inzai|印齋}}
* {{nihongo|Zeraku|是楽}}
* {{nihongo|Sanko|三小}}
* {{nihongo|Yoshibē|吉兵衛}}
* {{nihongo|Tsuji|辻}}
* {{nihongo|Mata Tomofusa|畑友房}}
* {{nihongo|Jirobē|次郎兵衛}}
* {{nihongo|Kame Hiyago|亀肥谷後}}
* {{nihongo|Washōin|和性院}}
* {{nihongo|Seibē|清兵衛}}
* {{nihongo|Gechū|牙虫}}
* {{nihongo|Ōmiya Kahē|近江屋嘉兵衛}}
* {{nihongo|Tamaharu|玉治}}
* {{nihongo|Daikoku(ya) Tōemon|大黒屋藤右衛門}}{{clarify|reason=Looks like "Daikokuya"|date=July 2022}}
* {{nihongo|Tomotane|友胤}}
* {{nihongo|Kashū|霞鷲}}
* {{nihongo|Nagaota Ichirō|長尾太市郎}}
* {{nihongo|Takeuchi Yasuei|竹内彌須平}}
* {{nihongo|Yoshimoto|宜元}}
* {{nihongo|Mitsuharu|光春}}
* {{nihongo|Demeuman|出目右満}}
* {{nihongo|Toshimaya Ihē|豊島屋伊兵衛}}
* {{nihongo|Karamono Kuhē|唐物久兵衛}}
* {{nihongo|Ichiraku|一楽}}

[[Seiyodo Tomiharu|Seiyōdō Tomiharu]] (1733–1810) was founder of the Iwami school of carving.

== Museum collections ==
The [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], the [[Los Angeles County Museum of Art]], the [[Asian Art Museum (San Francisco)|Asian Art Museum of San Francisco]], the [[Toledo Museum of Art]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://emuseum.toledomuseum.org/collections/61254/netsuke/objects | title=Works – Netsuke – Collections – Toledo Museum of Art }}</ref> the [[British Museum]], and the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] have many {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}.<ref name ="waraku">[https://web.archive.org/web/20210514223919/https://intojapanwaraku.com/craft/19070/ 【東京】この龍何センチに見える？細密彫刻「根付」を見るなら東博の展示がマスト！] Waraku.</ref>

In [[Kyoto]], Japan, there is the Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum, which is the only {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} specialized art museum in Japan. This museum is a traditional Japanese [[samurai]] residence built in the late Edo period. It has a collection of over 5,000 {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} and 400 of them are on display and change every 3 months. The collection focuses on modern works, but there are also works from the Edo period.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20191208055354/https://intojapanwaraku.com/craft/18874/ 【京都】日本で唯一の根付専門美術館に行ってみたら想像以上にすごかった！見所を徹底チェック] Waraku</ref><ref>[https://www.netsukekan.jp/en/ Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum]</ref>

The [[Tokyo National Museum]] has a small exhibition room dedicated to displaying 50 of the 500 contemporary {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} works collected by the [[Norihito, Prince Takamado|Prince]] and [[Hisako, Princess Takamado|Princess Takamado]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20211115083605/https://www.tnm.jp/uploads/r_press/253.pdf 東京国立博物館創立150年プレスリリース p.9] Tokyo National Museum.</ref> The Tokyo National Museum has 274 high quality items collected by {{nihongo|Go Seinosuke|郷 誠之助||extra=1865–1942}} and made by famous {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} craftsmen from the Edo period to the Meiji period. They were donated by Go who was concerned that too many {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} were exported from Japan and they were rarely seen in Japan.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220403050026/https://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_exhibition/index.php?controller=item&id=3320&lang=ja 140th Anniversary Thematic Exhibitions: Netsuke: The Go Collection.] Tokyo National Museum.</ref><ref name ="waraku"/> To mark its 150-year anniversary, the Tokyo National Museum simultaneously exhibited all 274 works from the Go collection from November 2, 2022, to January 22, 2023, and all 500 works from the Prince Takamado collection from November 15, 2022, to December 25, 2022.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20221113145435/https://www.tnm.jp/150th/project/202211/exhibition_netsuke_takamadonomiya.html 創立150年記念事業 高円宮殿下二十年式年祭記念 根付 高円宮コレクション.] Tokyo National Museum.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20221102075951/https://www.tnm.jp/150th/project/202211/exhibition_netsuke_go.html 創立150年記念事業 根付 郷コレクション.] Tokyo National Museum.</ref>

== In popular culture ==
* {{transliteration|ja|Netsuke}} are a central theme in ''[[The Hare with Amber Eyes]]'', a 2010 memoir by British ceramic artist [[Edmund de Waal]]. The book traces the history of a collection of 264 {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}—some of them by well-known craftsmen—which were taken to France in the late 19th century, and purchased by a wealthy art collector who was a member of the Jewish [[Ephrussi family]]. They were passed down through the family's Vienna branch, where a family servant kept them hidden during the [[Holocaust]] when the Nazis confiscated the family's other possessions. In 1947, the {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} were taken back to Japan by an heir who went to live in Tokyo.
* In episode 6 season 4 of [[Downton Abbey]]; Newley hired gardener John Pegg is accused of stealing the Dowager Countess’ {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} that was gifted to the late Lord Grantham. The countess is shamed by cousin Isobel of being only worried about “Things! Things!”. The netsuke is later retrieved by a housemaid and Pegg is re-hired.  
* A 2019 episode of [[Bob's Burgers]] entitled "The Helen Hunt" features a {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}} in the role of a [[MacGuffin]]; the Belcher family spends the episode searching for one hidden in an old apartment building in an effort to set Teddy up with rich heiress Helen.
* In 1995 Season 3 Episode 4 of the popular TV show Frasier, Niles finds out from the radio station boss Kate that the netsuke exhibit that’s in town is not showing the “really rare pieces” on account of they weren’t let out of Japan.
*''[[Wolverine (character)|Wolverine]]: Netsuke'' is a 2002-2003 [[Marvel Comics]] limited series following Wolverine being transported back to Feudal Japan after touching [[Mariko Yashida|Mariko Yashida's]] netsuke.

== See also ==
* [[Daruma doll]]
* {{transliteration|ja|[[:Category:Netsuke-shi|Netsuke-shi]]}}, the carvers of {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Ojime]]}}, the cord fasteners of {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Kinchaku]]}}, a traditional Japanese drawstring bag
* [[Chatelaine (chain)|Chatelaine]]
* [[Reticule (handbag)]]
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Yatate]]}}, a pipe-shaped writing set
* [[Japanese handicrafts]]
* [[Gothic boxwood miniature]]
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Okimono]]}}, small and purely decorative sculptures, often made by the same artists who produced {{transliteration|ja|netsuke}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.netsuke.org International Netsuke Society] This organization publishes a journal for collectors and holds international meetings bi-annually. The Society's web site shows examples of different styles. Others can be found by searching the Internet.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120223222414/http://www.sajm.co.za/events/japanese_art.asp Isaac Kaplan Netsuke Collection]. The South African Jewish Museum's collection of over 600 netsuke. The museum's permanent exhibit displays over 200 netsuke from the 17th-19th centuries.
* [http://www.weirdasianews.com/japanese-netsuke/ Japanese Netsuke] History and background on various types of ''netsuke''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090213213834/http://www.boltonmuseums.org.uk/collections/object-search?term=netsuke&submitted=1&sort_by=Title&s_tags=&submit=Search+the+collections%2F Netsuke thumbnail gallery] with detailed images at the Bolton Museum web site
* [http://www.netsukekan.jp/ KYOTO SEISHU NETSUKE ART MUSEUM] There are many excellent collection that mainly of contemporary pieces, but with some beautiful antique netsuke as well.
* [http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/90981/rec/1 Netsuke: masterpieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art], an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161027232943/http://rutherston.com/sumo-netsuke-okimono/  Sumo: Netsuke and Okimono]: From the collection of [[Karl-Ludwig Kley]], an online catalogue of Sumo themed Netsuke.

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Netsuke| ]]
[[Category:Japanese art terminology]]
[[Category:Japanese crafts]]
[[Category:Japanese clothing]]
[[Category:Japanese sculpture]]