ARTS
NETSUKE 根付: A LOST TRADITION AN ACCESSORY OUT OF FASHION l uigi ze ni ‘Even more important than the formal qualities of netsuke are the subjects depicted and the manner of their depiction. Netsuke are remarkable for their almost encyclopaedic range of subjects.’ 1
Etymology and Function The word netsuke 根付 stems from the Japanese characters ne 根 and tsuke 付 . Ne means ‘root’ and tsuke means ‘attached’. This derives from the fact that the first netsuke were probably roughly worked pieces of wood or bone, employed to hold regularly used objects on a kimono sash. As kimonos were not provided with pockets, women used to carry their valuables within their sleeves, while men hung them on a cord passed behind their sash (Fig. 4). To prevent them from falling, they used small carved artefacts – called netsuke – as a counterweight firmly positioned on top of the sash. Netsuke were carved in various shapes, from animals to mythological and religious figures, and were made of various materials, the most common being ivory, wood and deer antler. Since the range of netsuke’s types and subjects was so vast, Japanese people could choose what kind of netsuke they wanted based on their taste and financial means. Unfortunately, nowadays the practice of using netsuke has been lost, as Japanese people no longer wear kimonos on a daily basis. A common feature of netsuke is the presence of holes, used to attach it to the box containing one’s valuables. The holes are either carved, as seen at the bottom of the puffed sparrow in Fig. 1 Ashinaga and Tenaga with an octopus, 17 18 th century