In his poignant family memoir, Edmund de Waal describes how he inherited a collection of 264 netsukes from his great-uncle Iggie and traces their journey through generations of the Ephrussi family. “Netsukes have an extraordinary, irreducible character,” De Waal explains, “some funny, some hideous, some charming. And you can feel their stories through your fingers. I kept one in my pocket the whole time I was writing the book.” In the past, the tiny, carved Japanese figurines were not just objects of beauty, but part of a gentleman’s wardrobe: an accessory that demonstrated the wearer’s wealth, taste and social status. Because traditional kimonos had no pockets, men would suspend pouches on a silk cord passed behind their sash. The netsuke was threaded on the end to prevent the cord from slipping. As one craftsman explains, many young Japanese have little figurines hanging from their mobile phones or bags. “Although these are modern, and often commercial, the tradition is ancient. As more young people realize they can get them hand-made, the demand for traditional folkloric characters is once again rising.” rosemarybandini.co.uk
