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 were made in a variety of forms, this one being an example of the kagamibuta (mirror lid) type. As the name suggests, it consists of two parts, a bowl and a lid resembling a traditional East Asian mirror. While the bowl is usually undecorated and made of ivory, the metal lid is the focal point of decoration.

From the second half of the 18th century onwards, customers increasingly sought netsuke with inventive or ingenious designs. Sometimes this also included humorous elements. On this example, all the viewer can easily make out at first are three light areas against the dark. On further inspection, the unlikely subject turns out to be a fly that has settled on the head of a man. The man’s hand is raised to his head as if to brush away the fly. His brow is wrinkled as he disconsolately turns his eyes up towards the fly.