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Inro, Ojime and Netsuke
Inro, Ojime and Netsuke

Inro, Ojime and Netsuke

Datemid 18th century
Label TextIn early modern Japan, men suspended small containers (inrō) for carrying personal items (such as herbs and seals) over the sashes of their robes using a toggle (netsuke) connected by silk cords held by a fastener (ojime). All these items were made of a diversity of materials, were often elaborately carved and decorated, and offered the wearer an opportunity for self-expression. Inrō were commonly commissioned and might feature designs made or inspired by leading artists of the day.
Object number55.52
ProvenanceCourtright House Inc.,; Duncan MacTavish Fuller; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1955
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Spring and Summer in Japan, February 28 - October 13, 2002. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Fall and Winter in Japan, October 22, 2002 - February 23, 2003. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Refined Harmony: Decorative Arts from the Edo Period, March 7, 2003 - March 23, 2004.Published ReferencesFuller, Richard E. Japanese Art in the Seattle Art Museum: An Historical Sketch. Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1960 ("Presented in commemoration of the Hundredth Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and the United States of America"), no. 191.
Credit LineDr. Duncan MacTavish Fuller
Dimensions3 3/8 x 2 x 1 in. (8.57 x 5.08 x 2.54 cm)
MediumCase (inro): Wood, lacquer, gold, silver, mother-of-pearl inlay; Fastener (ojime): Wood, lacquer; Toggle (netsuke): Silver alloy filigree with inlaid enamel
Inro, Ojime and Netsuke
Japanese
18th century
Object number: 52.133
Inro: Gold lacquer with silver flower
Japanese
early 19th century
Object number: 55.50
Writing box
Japanese
20th century
Object number: 2001.3
Snuff bottle:  Woman Standing in a Garden; Woman Seated in Garden
Chinese
late 18th-early 19th century
Object number: 55.212
Incense box
Japanese
ca. 1850
Object number: 91.129
Inro, Ojime and Netsuke
Japanese
18th-19th century
Object number: 33.328
Photo: Paul Macapia
Chinese
first half 16th century
Object number: 69.96
Photo: National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Republic of Korea
Korean
late 18th-early 19th century
Object number: 93.165
Small covered box (kobako)
Japanese
19th century
Object number: 91.127
Man's traveling coat (han-gappa)
Japanese
early 19th century
Object number: 2002.61
Man's traveling coat (han-gappa)
Japanese
mid-19th century
Object number: 2002.62