Netsuke in the form of a fighting warrior

Netsuke in the form of a fighting warrior is held by Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe. Museum description: The so-called netsuke, carved from bone, probably depicts a warrior in Chinese clothing.

Perhaps the male figure also embodies Shôki, the legendary demon queller Zhong Kui from Chinese mythology, who made his entrance into Japan under a new name. The figure presents itself in a combative pose with a grim facial expression and a sword in the right hand. Like all fully three-dimensional carved pieces, this example belongs to the type of so-called "katabori-netsuke". A "netsuke" (pronounced: netske) is a toggle with two holes for the cord channel.

It was loosely attached to the Japanese obi (= belt) as a counterpart to a so-called "inro" and was thus part of the traditional Japanese clothing associated with the kimono. In the accompanying pouch, the inro, wealthy merchants, artists and The museum record gives measurements height: 5.5 cm, width: 2.9 cm, depth: 2.0 cm. These details come from the holding museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.