Netsuke in the shape of an abalone

Netsuke in the shape of an abalone is held by Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe. Museum description: The netsuke, made of bone, is carved in the shape of an abalone ("awabi").

A tiny sea snail and a small Venus clam have attached themselves to the heavily ribbed shell. Like all fully three-dimensionally sculpted 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. It was loosely fastened to the Japanese obi (= belt) as a counterpart to a so-called "inro" and was thus part of the traditional Japanese dress associated with the kimono.

In the accompanying pouch, the inro, wealthy merchants, artists, and craftsmen carried their seal, ink pad, and later also their medicine. In their design, netsuke frequently reference Japanese poetry and mythology. The almost inexhaustible wealth of motifs d The museum record gives measurements height: 2.7 cm, width: 5.0 cm, depth: 4.1 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.