19^th century Netsuke

This beautiful piece is a netsuke - a miniature Japanese sculpture. As well as being lovely objects, netsuke served a functional purpose: people hung their small boxes or bags from cords tied to a netsuke, which was pushed under the kimono sash like a toggle.

This netsuke is a piece of ivory, carved into the shape of a ball of rats, each of which has ebony eyes. It is inscribed with the name Tomochika, and the words Yowai Roku Ju Hachi - 'aged sixty eight'. It was carved during the 19 century.

In Japan, where the netsuke was carved, the rat is one of twelve animals representing one year of a twelve-year cycle. The rat is often seen as the companion of Daikoku, a god of wealth and farmers and one of Japan's Seven Gods of Luck. Sometimes a rat or a swarm of rats will be used in a story to frighten or warn people of the consequences of doing wrong to someone else, as in the story of Sesshiu the Painter.

Sesshiu was sent to train at a temple. While there he was tied to a pillar of the temple hall as punishment for something he had done. Sesshiu picked up a piece of charcoal between his toes and sketched some rats on the floor. The Abbott arrived later to set Sesshiu free, but the rats were so lifelike that he dare not approach.

Like many of our objects, this netsuke has undergone some basic treatment at our Conservation Centre, as its surface was dirty and dusty. The surface was gently swept with a fine brush and vacuumed. Then the surfaces were swabbed clean with deionised water.

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