Inro with floral designs, ojime, and netsuke
Date18th-early 19th century
Maker
Japanese
Label TextInro are containers for small personal items such as seals and herbal medicines. Japanese men of the Edo period (1603–1868) wore them hanging on the obi (sash) of their kimono. The small bead called ojime tightens the inro’s cord. Netsuke, intricately carved toggles, were attached at the end of the cord to prevent the inro from slipping through the obi. By the eighteenth century, both inro and netsuke had become more elaborate and decorative and were commissioned by merchants, samurai, and others who could afford them.
Object number33.320
Photo CreditPhoto: Elizabeth Mann
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Rabbit, Cat and Horse; Endearing Creatures in Japanese Art, December 21, 2002 - March 16, 2003
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing.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. 191Credit LineDuncan MacTavish Fuller Memorial Collection
DimensionsInro: 1 1/8 x 2 1/8 in. x 5/8 in.
Netsuke: 1 7/8 x 1 5/16 x 7/16 in.
Ojime: Diameter.: 7/16 in.
MediumBronze, silver, wood, gold, and ivory
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