Netsukes, a post script to our kumihimo workshop

At our recent kumihimo, Japanese braiding, workshop, for the embroiderers' guild, our instructor Charlene Marietti mentioned that  braiding was used among many other things, for securing netsukes to the owner's belt. 

Netsukes  were originally ivory, now not so much, ivory being outlawed for sale, often bone now I believe, small beautifully carved animal forms, little works of sculpture only a couple of inches across. A rich man's toy, in a way.

Since I have a collection (!) of three of these, I thought it would be interesting to show you what these are, some of our members not being familiar with this artform.

So here they are, showing you the upside and the underside so you can see the holes through which the braid passed, and the completion of the work on all sides of the netsukes.  They're lovely to handle and play with, like worry beads, and beautiful to see all the time.      

I'm taking this group in to our stitch in this evening, so people can play with them!