Netsuke, 19th century (461-1904)

The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hardwearing. Above all they had to have the means of attaching the cord. In this example, there are a pair of holes (himotoshi) on the bottom of the sandal.

Although netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated is the katabori (shape carving). This is a three-dimensional carving, such as this netsuke. In Japanese folklore oni are devious creatures with an ugly appearance capable of causing mischief and misfortune. This finely carved netsuke is ambiguous in its narrative intention. Firstly the oni could be interpreted as mocking the Buddhist religion as it is donning Buddhist robes or it could be alluding to the proverb 'oni no nembutsu' or the devil's paternoster as the demon is unhappy with providence.

Netsuke in ivory of an oni (demon) becoming a monk. The demon wears a tiger-skin loin-cloth and gazes upwards open mouthed with a rosary in his left hand and a raised hammer in his left.