Japanese netsuke are elaborately detailed figurines. Measuring around 3–5 centimeters in length, they have been described as “small universes in the palm of the hand” for their intricacy. Netsuke ...

Netsuke are those darling carved toggles that appear to hang as decorations from obi but actually have a very practical role in the traditional dress ensemble. Since traditional Japanese garments have ...

In the hands of Japanese netsuke carvers like Ryushi Komada, something quite mundane becomes sublime. From a simple block of wood emerges a delicate and expressive face, the sense of movement in the ...

History: It’s not everyday that you long to hold a pouch of baby rats. But when they are Japanese netsuke, the urge to wrap your fingers around these ivory carvings may be irresistible. Netsuke ...

Reclining goat by Kaigyokusai Masatsugu (late 1800s), ivory with eyes inlaid in coral and dark horn pupils, Osaka, Japan (courtesy British Museum, gift of Professor John and Mr.s Anne Hull Grundy, all ...

The SAGEMONOYA Gallery will commemorate its 20th anniversary Oct 13-16 with a special exhibition sale focused on the centuries-old but little-known Japanese art form of netsuke. The exhibit’s opening ...

Japanese carved figurines, called netsuke, weren’t just cool works of art — they served a practical purpose as wardrobe accessories. A well-dressed Japanese man prior to the twentieth century could ...

Which zodiac are you? Dr Ai Fukunaga, Curator of East Asian Collections at the Chester Beatty introduces a fascinating new exhibition at the much-loved Dublin museum. The twelve zodiac animals—rat, ox ...

An exhibition on “Contemporary Wood-Carved Netsuke” will open at Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam on January 24. An exhibition on “Contemporary Wood-Carved Netsuke” will open ...

In the hands of Japanese netsuke carvers like Ryushi Komada, something quite mundane becomes sublime. From a simple block of wood emerges a delicate and expressive face, the sense of movement in the ...