What exactly is a netsuke?

[zhangshilong]

Hello everyone. I'm new to this forum and have browsed through some posts. I'd like to share my personal thoughts here and discuss them with you all.

Hello everyone. I’ve been wondering: what truly defines a genuine netsuke in everyone’s eyes? I’ve noticed some people argue that only bone carvings, wood carvings and similar craftworks produced during certain periods of Japanese history qualify as authentic netsuke — for instance, works from the Edo period.

The Japanese Edo period roughly spanned the late Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty in China. During that era, China also had craftworks comparable to Japanese netsuke. Common examples included pendants hanging from scholars’ folding fans, ornaments worn on garments and waistbands, and handheld curios for daily appreciation. These pieces were widely seen in ordinary life, and crafted from nearly identical materials as Japanese netsuke, such as boxwood, ivory and animal bone. Quite a number of these Chinese carvings were even exported to Japan back then.

So what exactly is a true netsuke? Must it be a piece crafted by a Japanese carver in Japan during a specific historical period? If a carving was made by a Chinese artisan in the Ming Dynasty and later exported to Japan during Japan’s Edo period, should it be recognized as a netsuke? Do collectors cherish and pursue netsuke merely for the physical artwork itself?

I personally believe the answer is no. When people collect antique artworks, their value lies primarily in the history and culture they carry. Through these small artifacts, we can catch a glimpse of people’s lives in bygone eras, and share the joy of admiring and handling the same piece across time and space. From this perspective, once we trace an artifact’s origin, we can learn about the history and culture of Japan, China, or other regions of that age.

Are modern netsuke creations worthless? I do not think so. Setting aside deliberate imitations and counterfeits, contemporary works infused with modern perspectives and interpretations objectively reflect stark differences from antique netsuke in terms of era, culture, ideology and artistic expression. Vintage netsuke possess their timeless charm, while modern pieces boast unique appeal of their own.

These are just my personal views on netsuke as an art form. I welcome all of you to share your thoughts and join in the discussion.

[zhangshilong]

Undeniably, I am a craftsman from China who carves netsuke, yet I prefer to call myself a bone carver. My master has been creating bone carvings for decades, and people of his generation knew nothing about the concept of netsuke.

I’d like to share a small piece of my work here. The main body is the skull of an ancient Homo sapiens. An umbilical cord extends from the eye socket of the skull and connects to a modern infant lying sound asleep atop it.

The piece carries profound symbolism: the protection of ancestors and the dawn of new life. It depicts an encounter and reincarnation spanning millions of years. Generation after generation, humanity thrives and moves forward through the cycle of life.

[John C]

30 minutes ago, zhangshilong said:

So what exactly is a true netsuke? Must it be a piece crafted by a Japanese carver in Japan during a specific historical period? If a carving was made by a Chinese artisan in the Ming Dynasty and later exported to Japan during Japan’s Edo period, should it be recognized as a netsuke? Do collectors cherish and pursue netsuke merely for the physical artwork itself?

Helo Zhangshilong:

I'm no expert. But since the answers to the questions are both objective and subjective, I'll offer my opinion. What is a true netsuke? Objectively, a netsuke is an ornamental device that attaches to a cord for the purpose of holding another object to an obi or belt. With that definition, it can be literally anything. Subjectively, netsuke represent an art form. And like all art, it's beauty is in the eye of the beholder. When I think of netsuke as a collector, I picture an historical object. I also tend to confine my collection to those objects made in Japan, since I collect Japanese items.

This isn't to say that those items made elsewhere are not artistic, or not valuable, or not of high quality. I just prefer to collect those made in Japan and are at least 100 years old (how we define an antique).

I think the reason for my collecting preferences are because of established provenance. Modern art, in any form, doesn't usually carry the value or prestige of older art because the artists are not yet established as "masters" of their craft. Some probaby are - and will be designated as such in the future. But for me, modern pieces do not have the same attraction as those that are antiques.

I'm sure others will disagree, however I wanted to give just one collector's perspective.

 

John C.

约翰 C.

[Brian]

Have to mention, that is stunning craftmanship!

[zhangshilong]

10 hours ago, John C said:

张世龙你好：

我不是专家。但由于问题的答案既客观又主观，我将提出我的意见。什么是真正的根付？客观地说，根付是一种装饰装置，系在绳子上，用于将另一个物体固定在腰带或腰带上。根据这个定义，它实际上可以是任何东西。从主观上看，悬坠代表了一种艺术形式。和所有艺术一样，它的美在于情人眼中。当我将根付视为集电极，我描绘了一个历史物体。我也倾向于将我的收藏限制在日本制造的物品，因为我收集日本物品。

这并不是说其他地方制造的物品不具有艺术性、不有价值或质量不高。我只是更喜欢收集那些日本制造的、至少有 100 年历史的东西（我们如何定义古董）。

我认为我的收藏偏好是因为既定的出处。任何形式的现代艺术通常都不具备旧艺术的价值或声望，因为艺术家尚未成为其工艺的“大师”。有些可能是并且将来也会被指定为这样。但对我来说，现代作品并不像古董那样具有吸引力。

我确信其他人会不同意，但我只想给出一位收藏家的观点。

 

约翰·C.

约翰 C.

That's true. Collectors have different preferences for both modern art crafts and ancient antiques, and there is no right or wrong in this regard. The value of antiques lies not only in the items themselves, but also in the history they embody. Thank you for your reply, John.

[Bugyotsuji]

There are various facets to Netsuke, and everyone’s approach is different.
 

Also we must remember that a genius is a genius, in every age, even in our present day. 

[PietroParis]

Since the question "what exactly is a netsuke?" is a recurrent one in collectors' forums, here are my two cents.

 

First of all, I agree that we should not get fixated on the name. The Japanese use 根付 even for mass-produced keyrings, and who am I to tell them they are wrong? 

 

 

The question might thus become "what is a collectible netsuke?", but yet again people should be free to collect whatever they like (within some bounds, e.g. for what concerns poached ivory). However, they should be aware of what they are collecting, so that they don't end up overpaying for modern trinkets, and they don't inflict them on those who prefer antique and/or artistic items. 

 

To "mainstream" experienced collectors, antique pieces are always of some interest - regardless of the artistic quality, which might vary a lot - as a manifestation of a bygone age and culture. From that point of view it is understandable that collectors of Japanese stuff might be less interested in antique Chinese artifacts, as they are less able to place them in the proper context. It is true that Chinese toggles were often repurposed as netsuke in Japan, especially in earlier times, but I am under the impression that Japanese netsuke art evolved to a much higher level of sophistication. However, that might be just due to my ignorance of the Chinese side. For the record, I have this toggle which may or may not have been converted into a netsuke. I read in an article by a Western collector that the subject is a kind of pun, since in Chinese "crazy monkey holding a peach" (feng hou pao shou) is homophone to something like "may you advance in rank and live long". Maybe Zhangshilong can confirm this theory?

 

Finally to the question of antique vs modern: netsuke by contemporary artists are certainly considered collectible. The good ones can fetch prices that are generally higher than entry-level antiques, and the geographical origin of the carver is not a factor. However, absent the connection with a bygone age and culture, what matters for contemporary netsuke is the artistic quality, which is not just technical skill but also originality in the conception. Whenever I am accused of prejudice against contemporary carvings by someone who didn't like being told that granpa's treasure is in fact a mass-produced souvenir, I point them to this catalogue:

https://library.orientmuseum.ru/images/pdf/Sovr_Netsuke_2017.pdf

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 03:21 PM by PietroParis