Netsuke in the Form of an Ox

Netsuke in the Form of an Ox is held by Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe. Museum description: Carved from bone, this netsuke depicts a recumbent ox with nose rope and lead rope. The ox is a popular subject among Kyoto netsuke carvers. Like all pieces carved fully in the round, this example belongs to the type of so-called »katabori-netsuke«. A »netsuke« (pronounced: netske) is a toggle with two holes for cord threading. It was loosely attached as a counterpart to a so-called »inro« on the Japanese obi (= sash/belt) and was thus part of the traditional Japanese clothing associated with the kimono. In the accompanying pouch, the inro, wealthy merchants, artists, and craftsmen carried their seal, their stamping ink, and later also their medicine. In their design, netsuke frequently make reference to the poetry and mythology of Japan. The almost inexhaustible wealth of motifs of the katabori netsuke reflects from the 17th The museum record gives measurements height: 3.0 cm, width: 6.1 cm, depth: 4.9 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.