A series of photographs with descriptions by Edmund de Waal of 15 netsuke.
The photographs are by Michael Harvey.
To find out more about The Hare with Amber Eyes, click here.
Hare
This is my lunar hare, the hare that chases across the sky in Japanese mythology. He is made from the purest ivory to suggest the reflection of the moon. He is rather plump and is sitting contentedly on a leaf.
Medlar
This wooden netsuke feels like it is just about to go from ripeness to rottenness: a sort of tactile pun of making something soft from something hard.
Cooper
Many of the netsuke show craftsmen at work. Here is a cooper finishing his barrel. I think of the wry humour of one maker representing another in another material.
Walnut
This is simply beautiful: a walnut shell split into two showing the ivory kernels inside. The carving of the shell is deep and generous and makes a wonderful contrast with the sharp, smooth interior.
Rat
One of the many, many rats. Who wouldn’t want a netsuke of a rat? The tail is always a surprise, curled and coiled somewhere, and there is an intelligence in the eyes that makes me smile. This one is by Mitsutada, a carver from Kyoto at the start of the 19th century.
Lady
One of the erotic netsuke. The lady is happily scrubbing herself impervious in her tub. But she can be lifted gently from her bath and surprise the owner.
Kindling
An intricate carving of a bundle of kindling that you might see by the kitchen-door of any house in Japan. A favourite of my great-uncle Iggie who gave it a little stand in his vitrine in Tokyo.
Horse
This is unbelievably crude, but is a sort of Japanese version of a benevolent Thelwell pony. You can just see one of the two holes through which the cord was passed to secure the netsuke as a kind of toggle.
Fisherman
Another favourite of mine. A rather crude, early netsuke but one of real power. The exertion of the fisherman pulling in his nets is palpable. It has a patina that comes from the staining, but I think- feel- this one has been used and loved a lot.
Rat on Fish
I carried this in my pocket for several months as it has a way of tumbling through your fingers. There are dozens of rats in the collection- not surprising as they can get into the most unexpected places. Here he is surprised on a dried-out fish
Oni
A very old wooden netsuke of an Oni- a sort of Japanese ogre., muscle-bound with his tiger-skin loin-cloth. He often carries his club but has evidently mislaid it: a malevolent but unscary creature.
Ashinaga
This is the mythological long-legged fisherman of Chinese lore who went to catch octopus with disastrous results. I love him. He is utterly confounded by life.
Entertainer
I’m not sure if I trust this entertainer, on the road looking for work. He is smarmy. This netsuke belongs to a class of rather over-whimsical carvings of actors and dancers that were obviously hugely popular in Edo Japan.
Goat
A self-satisfied billy-goat munching away. The fineness of the carving of the ivory here is extraordinary as you hold it.
Dogs
A favourite netsuke of my great-aunt as a child growing up in Fin-de-Siecle Vienna. There is a ferocity in this mother dog protecting her twisting puppies that I like too. Her collar moves slightly on her neck. This ivory comes from Osaka and is 18th century.