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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Inada Ichiro (Japanese, 1891-1979) was an important 20th century netsuke artist. For centuries, the Japanese have used miniature sculptures hung by cords from the sash of their traditional garments ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...