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. In this example, there are a pair of holes (himotoshi) on the bottom of the sandal. 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 netsuke of a demon in a traveller sack.

In Japanese folklore oni or demons are devious creatures with an ugly appearance capable of causing mischief and misfortune. This finely carved netsuke is humorous in its depiction of the oni as its eyes playfully appear peaking out of the bag. Japanese and Chinese mythology and folklore provided a rich source of inspiration for Japanese carvers due to the rich diversity and fantasy of the subjects.
From the 18^th century onwards, many more makers signed their netsukes. This example is signed Riukei.