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 personal seal.

It is highly probable that the development of katabori netsuke in the early 17th century was closely linked to the influence of Chinese seals, which were widely known in Japan at that time. The underside of a seal was carved in relief or intaglio with the Chinese characters that made up an individual’s name. The upper part frequently featured a decorative carving. A seal could easily be converted into a netsuke by adding holes for a cord or by tying a cord to a suitable part of the carving. In such cases, the characters on the base were sometimes removed. From an early date, some netsuke were made in the form of both a seal and a netsuke and served a dual function, although they were often carved only with the characters for ‘long life’ or ‘good luck’ rather than with an individual’s name. Yet other netsuke, such as this early example, were made in the form of a seal but with no characters on the base. The subject of Chinese scholars that features on the upper part of this netsuke also underlines the connection with Chinese seals.