Netsuke

Netsuke have once again come to the fore in the popular imagination of the public. This book brings together one hundred of the beautiful and interesting netsuke from the extensive collection of the British Museum, each of which has its own special charm and story to tell.

Create your Japanese work of art with this new, comprehensive title on the intricate skill of Japanese netsuke carvings. Traditionally created for practical reasons, these fantastic miniature carvings are now highly collectible works of art. Carving Japanese Netsuke for Beginners is packed with information on the history, techniques, tools, and skills needed to master the art. Written in an approachable, personal style with 6 step-by-step projects to follow and 23 additional ideas, Carving Japanese Netsuke for Beginners includes everything you need to know to get started on the way to creating your own superb miniature carvings, each reflecting Japanese tradition.

A descent into the abyss of one troubled psychoanalyst's practice.

Contemporary Netsuke is an in-depth study of Japanese netsuke—miniature sculptures that are favorites of collectors and artists. In this unusual and engaging Japanese art book the author traces the historical background of netsuke and goes on to examine its current state, at the same time providing the background knowledge that every collector needs concerning authenticity, workmanship, and materials along with a wealth of information on subject matter, techniques, scholarly interest, and investement. Over 110 signatures and brief biographies of present-day netsuke and okimono carvers are included, and there are close-up studies of 27 leading artists. Contemporary Netsuke also includes nearly 200 illustrations, a photo essay showing the creation of a netsuke, and numerous sketches picturing legendary themes. A comprehensive list of dealers, a bibliography, and a glossary-index complete this authoritative, thorough and lively introduction to one of the oldest and newest of Japan's living arts.

Featuring dozens of Japanese netsuke masterpieces and insightful commentary, this Japanese art book is a classic collector’s item. Netsuke: A Guide for Collectors approaches the subject of Japanese nestuke from the point of view of the amateur collector rather than that of an owner discussing his own accomplished collection. Ever since Japan's emergence a little over a century ago from her long period of seclusion under Tokugawa rule, netsuke have exerted an almost irresistible attraction for Western collectors. These tiny carvings-exquisite in detail, charming in conception, and delightful for the sheer tactual pleasure to be experienced in handling them-captivated admirers of Japanese art and craftsmanship. Basically, netsuke were utilitarian in purpose, for they were designed to serve as pendants or toggles to support medicine boxes, writing cases, smoking equipment, and similar articles worn suspended by a cord from the obi-a practical device since the kimono had no pockets. At first quite primitive in design, they soon became more and more sophisticated, and their carvers turned increasingly to the legendary of Japan and China for inspiration and subject matter. This fascinating book is a wonderful introduction to this classic Japanese art and will be invaluable for both professional collections and amateurs alike.

With dozens of photos and illustrations, A Introduction to Netsuke is a readable and thorough guide to Japanese miniature art. Among the many Japanese fine arts, few have aroused greater admiration than the netsuke. This miniature piece of Japanese sculpture, approximately 1 1/2 inches in size, was designed (in the absence of pockets on kimonos) as an aid in suspending articles such as tobacco pouches from the sash of a kimono. It developed in ancient times as a utilitarian object, but became in the 16th century an artistic one as well, and flourished as such until 1926. No longer commonly worn, the netsuke is now a collectors' item, avidly sought throughout the world by those sensitive to its fine qualities. This book opens the miniature world of netsuke to those who have hitherto been unaware of its existence. In a delightfully lucid manner, the basics of the netsuke are presented-definition, origin, development, materials, statistics, and photographs. This book admirably fulfills its task of introducing the netsuke to the layman, irresistibly drawing him to new pleasures in aestheticism and culture.