Poetess Ono-no-komachi in her old age, sitting on a log
18th-19th century
During the late Edo and early Meiji periods, it was very popular as a men's fashion to sport sagemono-tobacco pouch-suspended from a belt or obi. A small ornament called netsuke, attached to the top of the cord, served as a tool for securing the pouch string inside the belt. A great number of netsuke, made of wood, ivory, metal, and ceramic, were produced by skillful craftsmen and became quite fasionable. They provide us a view of the joyful expression of unrestricted craftsmanship at that time.
Ivory
1 1/2 x 7/8 in. (3.81 x 2.22 cm)
L.: 2 7/8 in.
Duncan MacTavish Fuller Memorial Collection
33.352