INRO & KOZUKA & KOGAI
An inro (印 籠) is a traditional Japanese case to hold small objects, hanging from the obi (belt) worn around the waist. They are often very decorated, in a variety of materials and techniques, including often using lacquer.
Because traditional Japanese dresses lacked pockets, objects were often transported by hanging them from the obi in containers called sagemono (a generic Japanese term for a hanging object attached to a belt). Most sagemono were created for specialized content, such as tobacco, pipes, writing brush and ink, but the type known as inro was suitable for carrying something small.
Kōgai (笄): The kōgai is a spike for hair arranging carried sometimes as part of katana-koshirae in another pocket.
Kozuka (小柄): The kozuka is a decorative handle fitting for the kogatana; a small utility knife fit into a pocket on the saya.
Netsuke (根付) are miniature sculptures that were invented in 17th-century Japan to serve a practical function.
Traditional Japanese garments—robes called kosode and kimono—had no pockets; however, men who wore them needed a place to store their personal belongings, such as pipes, tobacco, money, seals, or medicines. Their solution was to place such objects in containers (called sagemono) hung by cords from the robes' sashes (obi). The containers may have been pouches or small woven baskets, but the most popular were beautifully crafted boxes (inrō), which were held shut by ojime, which were sliding beads on cords. Whatever the form of the container, the fastener that secured the cord at the top of the sash was a carved, button-like toggle called a netsuke.
Netsuke production was most popular during the Edo period in Japan, around 1615–1868. Today, the art lives on, and some modern works can command high prices in the UK, Europe, the USA, Japan and elsewhere.
Okimono (置物, oki-mono is a Japanese term meaning "ornament for display; objet d'art; decorative object",
An Okimono may be a small Japanese carving, similar to, but larger than netsuke. Unlike netsuke, which had a specific purpose, Okimono were purely decorative and were displayed in the tokonoma. An Okimono can be made out of wood, ivory, ceramic or metal.
One subcategory of Okimono is the Jizai Okimono, an articulated figure often made out of bronze or iron.
Okimono were normally not larger than a few centimetres. They depicted all sorts of animals, mythological beasts, humans, gods, fruit, vegetables and objects, sometimes combined with each other, in all sorts of positions. Sometimes a scene was portrayed as well, either a daily scene or from a story.
Anything that could be carved or made into a small object can be used in an Okimono. Some Okimonos were inspired by a group of objects and were supposed to be shown together as an ensemble.
Because traditional Japanese dresses lacked pockets, objects were often transported by hanging them from the obi in containers called sagemono (a generic Japanese term for a hanging object attached to a belt). Most sagemono were created for specialized content, such as tobacco, pipes, writing brush and ink, but the type known as inro was suitable for carrying something small.
Kōgai (笄): The kōgai is a spike for hair arranging carried sometimes as part of katana-koshirae in another pocket.
Kozuka (小柄): The kozuka is a decorative handle fitting for the kogatana; a small utility knife fit into a pocket on the saya.
Netsuke (根付) are miniature sculptures that were invented in 17th-century Japan to serve a practical function.
Traditional Japanese garments—robes called kosode and kimono—had no pockets; however, men who wore them needed a place to store their personal belongings, such as pipes, tobacco, money, seals, or medicines. Their solution was to place such objects in containers (called sagemono) hung by cords from the robes' sashes (obi). The containers may have been pouches or small woven baskets, but the most popular were beautifully crafted boxes (inrō), which were held shut by ojime, which were sliding beads on cords. Whatever the form of the container, the fastener that secured the cord at the top of the sash was a carved, button-like toggle called a netsuke.
Netsuke production was most popular during the Edo period in Japan, around 1615–1868. Today, the art lives on, and some modern works can command high prices in the UK, Europe, the USA, Japan and elsewhere.
Okimono (置物, oki-mono is a Japanese term meaning "ornament for display; objet d'art; decorative object",
An Okimono may be a small Japanese carving, similar to, but larger than netsuke. Unlike netsuke, which had a specific purpose, Okimono were purely decorative and were displayed in the tokonoma. An Okimono can be made out of wood, ivory, ceramic or metal.
One subcategory of Okimono is the Jizai Okimono, an articulated figure often made out of bronze or iron.
Okimono were normally not larger than a few centimetres. They depicted all sorts of animals, mythological beasts, humans, gods, fruit, vegetables and objects, sometimes combined with each other, in all sorts of positions. Sometimes a scene was portrayed as well, either a daily scene or from a story.
Anything that could be carved or made into a small object can be used in an Okimono. Some Okimonos were inspired by a group of objects and were supposed to be shown together as an ensemble.