Netsuke in the Form of a Chestnut with a Rat

Netsuke in the Form of a Chestnut with a Rat is held by Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe (Germany). Description supplied by the holding institution: The netsuke of bone or ivory bears a fine patina of wear.

Depicted is a chestnut with two leaves, upon which a small rat sits. Like all pieces sculpted fully in the round, this example belongs to the type known as "katabori-netsuke". A "netsuke" (pronounced: netske) is a toggle with two holes for the cord. It was loosely attached to the Japanese obi (= belt) as a counterweight to a so-called "inro" and was thus part of the traditional Japanese dress belonging to the kimono.

In the accompanying pouch, the inro, wealthy merchants, artists, and craftsmen carried their seal, ink pad, and later also their medicine. With their design, netsuke frequently reference the poetry and mythology of Japan. From the 17th century through to contemporary carvings, the almost inexhaustible richness of motifs of katabori netsuke reflects the earthly world of Japan in nature and society… The collection record gives measurements height: 3.9 cm, width: 3.5 cm, depth: 4.2 cm.

Published through Europeana; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.