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 pilgrims and a temple pillar.

For most of the Edo period (1615-1868), the only legitimate reason for travel that was open to the mass of the population was to make pilgrimages to sacred temples and shrines. By the time this netsuke was carved, towards the end of the period, such restrictions had been eased and nationwide travel in Japan for business or pleasure had become common. Certain netsuke subjects, such as this example, would have appealed directly to tourists and sightseers. It depicts the bottom of the enormous pillar at the Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden) of the Todaiji temple, Nara. Well known to tourists, this column has a square hole near its base, allowing slim and agile visitors to climb through, as shown here by a trick mechanism. According to popular belief, crawling through the opening was thought to bring religious merit.