On cover: Victoria & Albert Museum.

Distributor from label on p. 2 of cover.

Includes bibliographical references (page 45) and index.

The practical need for the small carvings known as netsuke on which the Japanese lavished their sculptural skills for more than two centuries arose from the simple fact that traditional Japanese dress had no pockets. Women, it is true, sometimes carried small articles in their sleeves and members of the warrior class (samurai), who were permitted to wear two swords, might hang everyday objects on the long hilts of their weapons, but the townspeople of the Edo or Tokugawa period (1615-1868), when all traditional netsuke of any artistic merit were made, were allowed only a single short blade for self-defence. In consequence they carried many of their personal possessions in a variety of containers suspended from the belt by cords. The cords, which were usually double, were passed behind the belt and to prevent them from slipping down a netsuke was tied to the upper end. -- Introduction.

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