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 hard-wearing. Above all, they had to have the means for attaching a cord. Netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated being the katabori (shape carving), a three-dimensional carving, such as this one in the form of a sleeping shojo. The shojo is a mythical creature with long red hair, partial to excessive alcohol drinking and hence often shown asleep. There are many surviving netsuke in this standard or related forms.

The most widely used materials for making netsuke were traditionally wood or ivory. Since trees grow abundantly throughout Japan, wood is readily available and many varieties are comparatively cheap. There is also a long tradition of expertise in woodcarving in Japan. The small size of netsuke often makes identification of the wood used impossible. This example, however, can be identified as cherrywood, a dark-reddish wood. Where local supplies of specific trees were plentiful, they often formed the basis of regional netsuke production. This is exemplified by the widespread use of cherrywood in the Nagoya and Gifu areas. This particular example, however, is signed ‘Ikkan of Iwari province’.