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 netsuke. The early examples of katabori netsuke were made from about 1630 to 1700. At this time Japanese carvers were strongly influenced by Chinese designs. Large numbers of important illustrated Chinese books reached Japan. The best known was the Sancai tuhui (Tripartite picture assembly), published in 1610. The illustrations of mythical people and fabulous beasts, such as the mai, were of particular interest. The mai was a mixture of tapir, rhinoceros, ox and tiger, and had a trunk like an elephant. The mai appeared on netsuke in the form of the baku. It was a cat-like beast with a short curly trunk and had the power to devour bad dreams.