The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hardwearing. Above all they had to have the means of attaching the cord. Although netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated is the katabori (shape carving). This is a three-dimensional carving, such as this example.
Between about 1650-1750, netsuke designs showed a strong Chinese influence. From around 1750 netsuke carvers began to use Japanese subjects such as myths, heroes and gods. This netsuke shows an oni (demon) weeping over the severed arm of Ibaraki, the Rashomon demon. According to legend, this demon terrorised the Rashomon gate in Kyoto. The hero Watanabe no Tsuna succeeded in cutting off one of his arms, although he did not manage to vanquish him. A clenched, severed arm, with or without a weeping oni, was a popular netsuke subject.