***** Click photo to enlarge *****

These pieces are all carved by Fumio. 

Kirin .     *Not For Sale

 Material : Deer Antler, Goat Horn

Ama(pearl and abalone diver) with Cuttlefish

 carved from Hippopotamus tooth with mother of pearl and goat horn inlay 

I had a piece of hippo tooth and wanted to make something nice. I looked at the well known Netsuke and loved it, so I carved.  *Not for sale

Tuatara with Silver Fern                 *Sold

 carved from whale tooth, mother of pearl(eyes). can be worn as a necklace. 

Hakuzosu　　　Carved from Hippo Tooth .      *Sold

 43mm tall

Dancing Fox

 carved from recycled antique ivory

 80mm length

Giant Snail　　　

carved from Deer Antler Crown

Tortoise shell + Mountain Goat horn for eyes

Mouse and Rabbit

material: Deer Antler

             Tortoise shell with red ink (rabbit eyes)

             Mountain Goat Horn (mouse eyes)

32mm　

*Playful mouse and rabbit in round form.

Can be worn as a Necklace.*sold

Kyubi no Kitsune / Nine tailed Fox  *Sold

 Ghost like disguised Fox which has nine tails(from Japanese Legend). The Fox was wanted from the people, so it ran away to Shimotsuke-no-Kuni and then turned Stone.The stone turns ghost each night and annoyed the people. The stone is still there in 21st century. (I went there to have a look in 2016)

The carving shows the Fox is flying to Shimotsuke-no-kuni with Gyoku-stone(which is actually I used Yellow Crystal which I bought in a stone museum near the Fox Stone)  

Clinging on a stone (Tuatara in rounded form)

 carved from deer antler, Goat horn inlaid for eyes

 36mm Nice and small piece. You can ware as a Necklace too. Under arm's gap is for Himotoshi.  sold

Octopus / Tagua Nut, Double inlaid Merino Sheep Horn and Cow Horn eyes

 53.6mm long  *Sold

Love Affair / 逢瀬（おうせ）*Sold

 Deer Antler Crown

This is my first piece of "Syun-Ga" Netsuke.

Toad / Gama . *Sold

 Carved from Deer Antler, Tortoise shell (from antique Japanese hair pin)/ Gold Leaf underneath of shell (I tried to shows the dazzling light after hibernation)

Frog with red tortoise shell eyes

carved from deer antler crown

40mm *Sold

Octopus　

  Deer Antler,  Merino Sheep Horn,  Goat Horn  *Sold 

Octopus   　Sold　　

 Deer Antler,  Tortoise Shell, Goat Horn      125mm

Giant Squid

carved from deer antler, eyes=Tortoise shell colored by ink from backside   / 120mm L *sold

Shakuhachi (Japanese Bamboo Flute) Netsuke 

167mm Long    Carved from Chamois Bone

Can be played   Sold

Sleeping Cat / Nemuri Neko .  Netsuke        *Sold

 carved from Deer Antler Crown

 41mm wide

What is NETSUKE ?

Netsuke is a toggle, acting as a catch on the sash of a Kimono.

A Netsuke is a small sculptual object which has gradually developed in Japan over a period of four hundred years.Netsuke(singular or plural) initially served both functional and aesthetic purposes. The traditional form of Japanse dress, the Kimono, had no pokets. Men suspended thier tabacco pouches, pipes, purses, writing implements and other items of daily use on a silk cord passed behind their obi(sash). These hanging objects are called sagemono. The Netsukewas attached to other end of the cord preventing the cord from slipping through the obi.

In general, the Netsuke has the following physical characteristics or requirements:

*To serve as a toggle attached to hanging objects (called Sagemono), it has a hole or a channel (himotoshi) to put the cord through.

*To be worn as an accessory or held in hands, it doesn’t (or shouldn’t) have parts that can easily be broken or might catch the garment.

*To be worn at the waist, it is comparatively small. It is generally about as large as you can hold in your hand, but it could be a bit smaller or larger than that.