Description
Sculpture Stone
Fetish
ARTIST:
Vintage Dragon Zuni Fetish Carving
The origin of netsuke is of a rather practical manner. Japanese kimonos had no pockets. The kimono was tied together with a sash or belt, called obi. So everything that you would carry in a pocket was put into a pouch or a box and attached to the sash with strings.
The netsuke with two openings for the string to pass, acted as a toggle to prevent the sagemono (everything hanging from the sash) from slipping down from the obi. The channel or hole carved into the netsuke for the passage of the cord is called the himotoshi. If a netsuke has a natural opening for the cord to pass, one speaks of a natural himotoshi.
Far beyond their practical use, they were considered as a status symbol by their owners. Soon netsuke developed from a simple practical object to an impressive piece of art of high standard.
Netsuke were in use from at least the early 17th century to the second half of the 19th century. During the Meiji period the Japanese adopted Western clothing, which made netsuke disappear as an item for daily use by Japanese men
CONDITION: Excellent
WLM164
IMG_1258.JPG, IMG_1263.JPG, IMG_1501.JPG, IMG_1500.JPG, IMG_1499.JPG
