As already stated, netsuke are a piece fastened to the cords or strings attached to an inro, kinchaku (money-pouch), tobacco-pouch, a bunch of keys, amulet case, or lunch-bag, and serve to keep the cords from slipping through the girdle and garment. But sometimes they are intended for some other purposes in addition to that of checking the slip of the cords.
In the first place, the materials of netsuke are often applied to medical purposes. The most popular of these is unicorn, which is the upper jaw of a species of whale found in the arctic regions, and has, so it is said, the virtue of allaying fever. The carved piece of unicorn is used for netsuke at ordinary times, and when the wearer is attacked with a fever, scrapings of it are infused and taken as a febrifuge. As unicorn is hard to distinguish from ivory, the spot where the cord is fastened and the other part which is unimportant in design are left with a crust and no carvings are wrought there, so that the material may be recognizable as unicorn and taking scrapings from it many not affect
the general design.

A mask of demon By Ueda Jugyoku [ivory, dyed ; 1.5 in. h.]

It is said that if one takes scrapings of ivory internally, a thorn or splinter run into one's skin will come out. It is further thought that deer horn has an antidotal value for the bite of an adder. Netsuke of these materials are often used for medical purposes.
Some netsuke were used as ash-trays. These were employed with tobacco-pouches, mostly by peasants. Chiefly of metal, particularly of cast metal, they were so made as to hold tobacco ashes. The reason this form of netsuke became so popular is that Japanese smokers were in the habit of knocking out the ashes into an ashtray and lighting the next pipe with the ashes while they were still glowing.
There is a tobacco-pouch netsuke ingeniously devised like the modern cigarette lighter. It is made of brass or iron, and when the lid is opened, the flint and steel worked by a spring make sparks and set fire to the tinder which is also inside the netsuke.
Another specimen is the sundial netsuke. It consists of a small vessel opening on hinges, one part of which is fitted with a compass, while the middle of the other part is formed in a cave around which the hours are marked and in the center of which rises a rod. When the piece is placed in the right direction according to the compass and exposed to the sun, the shadow of the gnomon falls upon one of the hour lines and thus shows the time of day. Although of not much artistic value, the sundial netsuke may be said to be a highly advanced variety.
Then we have the soroban netsuke, which was patronized by merchants. The soroban, or abacus, is a calculator used by the Japanese from olden times. This netsuke was made mostly of wood, sometimes of ivory, and one could calculate figures from five to seven digits. Other varieties of netsuke include one which may be called a sickle netsuke, with the blade folding into the handle, and we may mention also those in the form of candle-sticks, telescopes, magnifying glasses, etc.
As may be seen from the above, there were a great many kinds of netsuke which combined their original purpose with various other uses. It is interesting to note that with the development of this midget sculpture more and more works of highly artistic value were created, but pieces combining purely practical purposes were also much sought after.

A monkey cherishing a peach By Kaigyokusai Masatsugu [ivory; 1.2 in. h.]

The inro, tobacco-pouch and money-pouch were worn on the person or used often in company, so that they easily attracted attention. It was natural therefore that people should have grown more and more luxurious or fastidious about these things. The same can be said of the netsuke which are attached to them. In its inception, netsuke were things for practical use merely to check the slipping of inro, kinchaku, etc. from the girdle, but in the middle of the Edo Period (1600-1867) there was a tendency to vie for excellence in material and workmanship as well as for novelty of design. Though of insignificant proportions, design was regarded as the soul of netsuke, and much importance was attached to it.

Left : A Monkey-leader By Negoro Sokyu
[wood, lacquered ; no sig.; 2.9 in. h.]
Right : Ofuku (Banko Ware)
[earthenware ; 1.6 in. h.]

The designs of netsuke are of immense variety, and this forms their notable characteristic. It may be accounted for by the fact that netsuke was a rising indus- rial art unfettered by old tradition and its use spread among the people in general without distinction of class. In other fields of art, for instance, painting, conditions were quite different. The Kanos of Edo were painters in the Shogun's employ generation after generation; among other artists there were many who were engaged by daimyos and received stipends. They were not allowed to break through the bonds of tradition, but had to paint conventional pictures according to the style handed down in their respective families. It is almost impossible to find anything fresh or free and untrammeled in the works of these protege painters.
In the field of netsuke art, on the contrary, such aristocratic patronage was unknown, for netsuke found favor with farmers, tradesmen and artisans, not the samurai class. Towards the end of the Edo Period, there was a netsuke carver named Hojitsu (Meikeisai) who was almost an employee artist to the Shogun, but this was a very rare instance. Netsuke developed as a free, demotic new art unrestrained by any tradition or authority. Naturally they were marked by novelty of designs covering a wide range of subjects and manifested a popular taste peculiar to the Edo Period.