Japanese Netsuke on Display

One of the pleasant aspects of working in a museum and art gallery is that sense of discovery when you come across an object you may not have seen before or not seen for many years. 

In preparing for an event that’s coming up at The Collection on Friday (26th April), with Edmund de Waal the famous potter, I started thinking about his book The Hare with Amber Eyes, where Edmund researches his family history and its connection with a large collection of netsuke.  I had a vague recollection I had seen reference to netsuke in the Usher’s collection so thought I’d take a look.

A quick search on the database suggested we had 3 netsuke, an inro and a selection of other ivory pieces from Japan, so I set off to find them in the reserve store.  What a delight when I opened the box to see this little monkey cheekily peering out of some tissue paper, and when carefully lifting him out to see the enormous catfish at his feet!

In Japanese mythology the Namazu is a giant catfish who causes earthquakes.  There are several versions of the myth and the one depicted in this carving is that of the god Kadori Myogin subduing the Namazu with a slippery gourd to prevent him from moving; however occasionally the god is distracted or tired enabling the catfish to move and thereby cause an earthquake.

In traditional Japanese clothing there were no pockets so various alternatives were devised and men often hung small accessories from a sash.  An inro was a decorated box with multiple compartments most often for carrying medicine or seals, and it was hung by a cord kept in place by a small toggle called a netsuke.  Most netsuke measure less than 5cm high but the detail of the carving can be quite extraordinary.  They were carved in a range of materials including ivory, tortoiseshell, coral, amber and wood.

The monkey netsuke is now on display in the Orientation Hall at The Collection, along with the other netsuke and a few other Japanese objects.  They won’t be there for very long so do make time to come and see them.

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