The Folklore and Fashion of Japanese Netsuke
By Maribeth Keane and Ben Marks
— When men wore kimono in the 17th century, they had hanging containers and pouches called sagemono and stacked containers called inrō in which to carry small personal items. The containers hung by a cord that was attached to a small carving which was slipped underneath the kimono sash at the hip. This carving was called a netsuke and its mass would prevent the cord of the hanging container from slipping out from beneath the sash.
Initially, the container cords were tied to small readily...
