General
information about Netsuke:
A netsuke (net-skeh) is
a miniature sculpture developed in Japan over a period of more than
three hundred years. This highly collectable art form is both
functional and aesthetic and will continue to increase in value very
quickly. The kimono, the traditional form of Japanese dress, had
no pockets. Men suspended pouches (inro) on a silk cord from their
sash (obi). To stop the cord from slipping through the
"obi", a small toggle is attached. That small toggle is the
"netsuke". The two Jpanese characters that are used to spell
the word "netsuke", are "net" which means
"root", such as bamboo root that may have been used as an
early netsuke, and "tsuke", which means "to
fasten". Thus, netsuke originally meant a root that had been
fastened to something.
Popularity:
There was no stigma
attached to the production, sale, or purchase of these artworks. In
fact the market for such artworks was a lively and lucrative one. In
Japan, erotic motifs played an important role, especially in Edo (the
city we now know as Tokyo), the new and dynamic capital, in the period
known by the same name. The majority of the sculptures show married
couples of all ages, shy and inexperienced youngsters, adulterous
wives and husbands, liaisons across class boundaries and same-sex
lovers. It reflected the Japanese view of the body and sex as being
part of the normal, natural world, a world that held no concept of
original sin. Japan has a strong tradition of erotica and its people
have held various associated beliefs. In the Japanese middle ages, the
Samurai believed that sex would safeguard them against misfortune.
However, although the general attitude was open and positive in the
Edo period, the genre was subject to censorship from time to time,
especially with the introduction of "western" morals to the
formerly closed society of Japan.
1350 -
US$ > 
a2760 
