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Netsuke are collected for their beauty and detail,
but in reality, they served a very functional
purpose.
Traditional Japanese kosode and kimono have no
pockets
creating the need for an alte rnate means of
transporting small personal objects such as pipes,
tobacco, money, seals, or medicines. The solution
was to place such objects in containers (called
sagemono) which were suspended by cords from
the sash or obi. The netsuke was attached to this
cord.
Sagemono often took the form of a pouch or a small
woven basket, but the most popular were
beautifully crafted boxes (inro), which
were held shut by ojime, sliding beads on
cords. Whatever the form of the container,
attached to the end of the cord was a
carved, ornamental toggle called a netsuke. The netsuke could be made of many materials. The
most common were wood, bone or ivory.
To secure the sagemono to the owners clothing, the
ornamental netsuke was passed under the obi and
out the top making it difficult to withdraw.
Often of great artistic merit, netsuke generally
reflect important aspects of Japanese life such as
religious icons or natural objects possessing
characteristics that the wearer admired. Netsuke
are highly collectible and antique netsuke can
easily sell for thousands of dollars.
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