Product Description

Netsuke, the carved toggles used to fasten a small container to a kimono sash, made from ivory, wood, porcelain,and more, are among the most popular Asian antiques. Over 970 vivid images of netsuke are shown, representing Japanese life, customs, religion, professions, art, history, and legends. The netsukes are organized by subject, allowing readers to rapidly find those that interest them most. The succinct text introduces, defines, and describes the various types of netsukes and helps identify the subjects represented. Additionally, important evaluating tips are provided, along with a bibliography. This book is a must for anyone interested in Oriental art.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1562292 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780764328473
• Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

More is Way Less
I am an inveterate netsuke collector for over 20 years. In addition, as a student of the subject, I have an extensive library. That this volume is terrible is one thing. There are many books -- so-called "vanity publications" -- where the cost of publishing is born by the author. The astute reader knows to tread carefully with those volumes (although there are many fine books of this type) because the book has no editorial constraints. The problem here is that this book is published by a respected commercial publisher who should have known better. The imprimatur of a respected publisher would lead one to the conclusion that some editorial attention and vetting would be present. Uh-uh.

Although I confess to not having the patience to review every page, those that I did are replete with fakes, Hong Kong knock-offs and pure junk. If Amazon would permit zero stars, I would have given it that score. Caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware.

The Worst Book on Netsuke
Avoid this book! Itis a relatively expensive tome with hundreds of illustrations, almost all of which are of cheap Chinese fakes with some of crudely carved Meiji export pieces, many with displayed signatures, none of which are identified. One piece, reproduced both on the back cover and also on the back of the dust jacket, shows a copy of the traditional 18th century netsuke model of a Dutchman carrying a cockerel, with drilled himotoshi on the front of the figure!

I am an experienced collector, but I've never seen anything like this publication and don't know what to make of it.

Netsuke
While browsing a large Asian bookstore recently a friend who knows I've collected and studied netsuke seriously for over 30 years pointed out this book. I already owned every other title on netsuke in the store. I thumbed through the book for a couple of minutes and read some of the text. That was all it took to convince me that the book was not only a bad purchase for a collector of original, old Japanese netsuke but also for anyone interested in quality modern netsuke. Perhaps it contains a few pieces "of merit" (and that doesn't neccessarily mean expensive as there are many interesting and collectible pieces that can purchased for $500 or so) but I'm afraid I did not see any of them in this book. In my years of collecting there have been many instances in which someone has told me I have to go see the netsuke on display at this or that antique store or emporium. Invariably (with one exception) they have turned out to be of the commercial quality such as are displayed in this book. You will not find anything like these in a decent museum collection or knowlegable dealer's inventory. Under the Amazon/publishers description of this book I find it revealing that three links were listed with the following information:
"Asian Art Mall over 1,000 to choose from.
Large selection of high quality reproductions. Quantity discounts.
We buy and sell ivory for crafters Purchasers of estate elephant tusks".
These fit right in with the material displayed in this book. It is a shame to see this book listed along with the many fine texts that exist on netsuke and inro. I only hope that it will not influence novice purchasers of these pieces to continue accumulating what most serious collectors could only refer to as junk. The author has done the netsuke world a disservice in creating such a tome which will likely mislead the unknowlegable into wasting even more money. Furthermore, the author has written a completely inappropriate response to one of the reviewers who is recognized world-wide by collectors and who has published the most impressive bibliography ever written, "The Ultimate Netsuke Bibliography". The author would do well to review back copies of the Journal of the International Netsuke Society and compare his published pieces to those in the articles or perhaps buy through Amazon a copy of the L.A. County Museum of Art's extensive text on netsuke from the Bushell collection. That would be the best use of $75 I could think of for the author and potential buyers of his book.