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 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign TEKKAI SENSEI $16.99 Time Remaining: 23d 3h 51m Buy It Now for only: $16.99 |
 2 Japanese Carving Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Naked Lady With Long Braid $14.99 Time Remaining: 6h 7m |
 3pcs hard Wood Stand of NetsukeSnuff bottleCarving Display $4.25 (7 Bids) Time Remaining: 4h 23m |
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 2 Japanese Carving Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Two Face Toucan Rabbit $6.05 (11 Bids) Time Remaining: 4h 10m |
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 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Lucky Cat $5.50 (13 Bids) Time Remaining: 2d 5h 1m |
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 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign howling kirin $3.00 (7 Bids) Time Remaining: 1d 4h 34m |
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 Japanese Handwork Boxwood Netsuke Wood Carving Sculpture Sea Lion $13.99 Time Remaining: 6h 10m |
 15pcs hard Wood Stand of NetsukeSnuff bottleCarving Display $9.99 Time Remaining: 15h 51m |
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 2 Japanese Carving Naked Nude doctor Lady Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign $5.50 (8 Bids) Time Remaining: 5d 5h 28m |
 Japan Wood Boxwood Sculpture Carving Netsuke Sitting Buddha Daruma $10.99 Time Remaining: 5d 5h 24m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 |
 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Cock Eat rice $16.99 Time Remaining: 1d 4h 31m |
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 Boxwood Netsuke TURTLE EGG Carving WN271 $10.99 Time Remaining: 24d 11h 21m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 |
 3pcs hard Wood Stand of NetsukeSnuff bottleCarving Display $0.01 Time Remaining: 1d 19h 21m |
 Craft Wood Boxwood Netsuke Sculpture Carvings frog peek lady bath $10.99 Time Remaining: 6d 7h Buy It Now for only: $10.99 |
 2 Japanese Carving Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Monkey WIth Lotus leaf Peach $4.24 (6 Bids) Time Remaining: 3d 4h 56m |
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 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Sitting Dog $13.99 Time Remaining: 1d 5h 49m |
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 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign TEKKAI SENSEI $14.99 Time Remaining: 1d 6h 55m |
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 2PCS Wood Stand of NetsukeSnuff bottleCarving Display 4 $9.99 Time Remaining: 1d 1h 49m |
 6pcs Set hard Wood Stand of NetsukeSnuff bottleCarving Display $0.99 Time Remaining: 1d 5h 32m |
 Carved Boxwood Netsuke Wood Carving Man Wear Cat Head $10.99 Time Remaining: 27d 7h 4m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 |
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 2 Japanese Carving Mermaid Baby Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign $14.99 Time Remaining: 3d 6h 29m |
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 handcraft hand work ox bone netsuke statue cute handbag carved $9.80 Time Remaining: 1d 17h 16m |
 3pcs hard Wood Stand of NetsukeSnuff bottleCarving Display $0.99 Time Remaining: 1d 17h 34m |
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 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Wind God $14.99 Time Remaining: 2d 5h 21m |
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 3 of a set good Wood Stand of NetsukeSnuff bottleCarving Display $4.90 Time Remaining: 5d 23h 9m |
 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Fishermen $14.99 Time Remaining: 2d 6h 22m |
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 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Dog $13.99 Time Remaining: 2d 7h 28m |
 Pure Handmade Boxwood Netsuke Carving Dragon On Clock $10.99 Time Remaining: 17d 20h 42m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 |
 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Sword Through Skull $2.01 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 6d 6h 47m |
 Japanese Boxwood Hand Carved Medicine Lady Netsuke $9.99 Time Remaining: 3d 3h 45m Buy It Now for only: $39.99 |
 Handmade Craft Wood Boxwood Sculpture Carving Netsuke Fish hawker $10.99 Time Remaining: 12d 4h 50m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 |
 handmade wood stand for netsuke carving display $1.29 (5 Bids) Time Remaining: 6h 22m |
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 6pcs hard Wood Stand of NetsukeSnuff bottleCarving Display $9.99 Time Remaining: 3d 2h 1m |
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 Hand Craved Boxwood Carving Netsuke 2 Rabbit NBW060 $6.88 Time Remaining: 22d 2h 14m Buy It Now for only: $6.88 |
 handmade wood stand for netsuke carving display $5.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 6h 15m |
 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Frog Ball $21.99 Time Remaining: 14d 10h 30m Buy It Now for only: $21.99 |
 2 Exquisite Handmade Hollow OX Bone Carving Statue Netsuke Kind Man agg1744 $2.26 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 6d 5h 34m |
 Wooden Boxwood Netsuke carved sheep figurine $1.25 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 5h 12m |
 Handmade Boxwood Carved Ojime Bead Netsuke Horse NBC136 $10.99 Time Remaining: 28d 21h 24m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 |
 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Octopus Catch Crap $16.99 Time Remaining: 2d 23h 55m |
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 handwork handcraft wood netsuke statue the ball and 4 monkeys making face carved $8.00 Time Remaining: 1d 17h 11m |
 6pcs hard Wood Stand of NetsukeSnuff bottleCarving Display $9.99 Time Remaining: 3d 16h 21m |
 Craft Wood Boxwood Sculpture Carving Statue Netsuke Two Fish $10.99 Time Remaining: 5d 4h 18m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 |
 2PCS hard Wood Stand of NetsukeSnuff bottleCarving Display $0.10 Time Remaining: 2d 5h 40m |
 Japanese Craft Wood Boxwood Sculpture Carving Signed Netsuke Ferocious Tiger $10.99 Time Remaining: 5d 5h 12m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 |
 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Kappa on shell $14.99 Time Remaining: 3d 6h 19m |
 Chinese handcraft boxwood Netsuke Coffee Spoon with rabbit carved $0.99 Time Remaining: 1d 18h 43m |
 Craft Wood Boxwood Sculpture Carving Netsuke Foreigner Mask with long nose $10.99 Time Remaining: 5d 4h 58m Buy It Now for only: $10.99 |
 Nice Wood Stand of NetsukeSnuff bottleCarving Display $9.99 Time Remaining: 1d 1h 47m |
 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Fox Priest $16.99 Time Remaining: 23d 3h 55m Buy It Now for only: $16.99 |
 handwork olive nut netsuke beautiful ship carved $5.20 Time Remaining: 1d 17h 12m |
 Chinese handcraft boxwood Netsuke Coffee Spoon with frog carved $0.99 Time Remaining: 2d 19h 45m |
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 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Dragon catch ball $16.99 Time Remaining: 4d 9h 45m Buy It Now for only: $16.99 |
 Carving Boxwood Netsuke Wood Carving Man Wear Cat Head $13.99 Time Remaining: 5d 6h 46m |
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 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Naked M $21.99 Time Remaining: 16d 4h 57m Buy It Now for only: $21.99 |
 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Dolphin Baby $14.99 Time Remaining: 5d 6h 53m |
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 3pcs hard Wood Stand of NetsukeSnuff bottleCarving Display $9.99 Time Remaining: 4d 16h 1m |
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 Japanese wood Boxwood Sculpture Carving Signed Netsuke 3 Carp $13.99 Time Remaining: 5d 7h 19m |
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 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign Japan samurai $14.99 Time Remaining: 6d 4h 11m |
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 2 Japanese Carving Sculpture Boxwood Wood Netsuke Sign grandfather grandson $16.99 Time Remaining: 9d 4h 34m Buy It Now for only: $16.99 |
 2 Japanese Boxwood Wood Netsuke Owl Carving Sculpture $13.99 Time Remaining: 3d 5h 49m |
Carving Netsuke
Netsuke & Inro Really Belong Together!
Netsuke
Japanese netsukes are superb little carvings, mostly made out of ivory or wood, as handling pieces, or toggles. So one good way of judging a good netsuke is to handle it – it should feel very comfortable and interesting, in the hand, having no sharp points Netsuke are often only about an inch high, yet these tiny sculptures are very powerfully carved and so full of character.
Each netsuke will always have a couple of linked holes (or a deliberate gap often between a tail or leg) for a cord to be attached so that they could be used as a toggle. They were then most often attached to an inro. Yet there are many collectors that only collect netsuke without owning any inro.
Inro and Ojime
So what is an inro? These are finely decorated lacquer containers, consisting of a number of interlocking compartments (often between 3 – 6 sections) all held together on a cord. An ojime (decorative bead) was then threaded onto the cord that once pushed down towards the inro, kept all the compartments closed. Ojime can be exquisitely carved metal, ivory or stone beads. These inro were then used for carrying such small personal items as seals and pills and became fashionable with the Kimono.
The kimono had no pockets so the inro, held closed by the ojime, would be worn hanging from the sash; the netsuke was then, pushed up under the sash, thus trapping and holding the inro in place.
The Japanese lacquer work on inro is so beautiful, yet it is such a difficult medium to work with as well as being a time consuming process. Not only does it involve building up a very large number of layers before any decorative work can be introduced, but there are also then several different very fine skills required in completing the decoration. Techniques involve using coloured lacquer, shell inlay, metal work and amazing applications of tiny bits of gold. What is extraordinary too, is that having completed the decoration, the lacquer and any metal, or shell decoration, often can be quite thick, yet all the inro sections fit into each other so smoothly that when the inro is closed, all one can see, are very fine lines that are really the dividing gaps between the various compartments.
The designs used by the lacquer artists were not only very finely executed but were often deliberately worked around both sides of the inro in such a way as to maximise curiosity – thus forcing one to want to turn the inro over to see what is on the other side.
What does seem a pity these days is that there are collectors that only collect netsuke, or inro, some even only collect the ojime! No doubt this has a great deal to do with the escalating cost of these treasures, but really these particular Japanese antiques all belong together. It is so much more satisfying to find the ideal netsuke and ojime that relate well together with a favourite inro. To simply own an inro and ojime (these are often sold together) but without a netsuke makes the inro look so incomplete.
About the Author
John N. Cohen A past director of Jacey Cinemas Ltd. Later the proprietor of a design & photographic studio, now a director of Jacey Homes Ltd., a property development company. Interests and Hobbies: A top international award winning photographer who also became a well known Asian antiques collector and an enthusiast of Jensen British classic cars. Other interests are skiing and Salsa dancing.
For John’s other interests please have a look at: - http://www.jncohen.net
To see more articles with photographs please use the following link: -
http://www.jncohen.net/antiques/articles.htm
For more about Netsuke and inro please use the following link: -
http://www.jncohen.net/Netsuke/index.htm
Carved Ivory Netsuke - The Fishermen family