Kyoto: Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum
On our third day in Kyoto, we visited the Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum, which is the only museum in Japan which displays and preserves Netsuke. Netsuke are little sculpture like accessories which gained popularity in the Genroku period (late 17th to early 18th century); which were often worn by men as a toggle to prevent their Sagemono or Inro from falling off. Despite their functionality, they are also appealing aesthetically; often made in a variety of designs and from durable materials such as ivory, bone and wood.
The Museum is enclosed and quiet, which made the viewing of the Netsuke to feel much more intimate!
The Museum utilises a traditional, Japanese style house to accommodate these precious sculptures, which are displayed in glass cabinets and on small rotating wooden stands. Each of the Netsuke figures are labelled with a brief description of what they are, whilst some are accompanied with extra information, such as how the Edo period consisted of sharing sweets with everyone regardless of status and wealth, a strong contrast to European history!
The Netsuke being displayed in cabinets throughout the Museum space- this photo really encapsulates how precious these figures are!
The museum also featured a quiet, dimmed viewing space where you could watch the process of wood carving and making Netsuke pieces, something which I personally found to be quite fascinating as the process appeared to be quite intricate and tricky to handle.
One of my favourite aspects of the Museum was how the Netsuke was characterised to reflect the humour and personalities of people during the Edo Period, showcasing how many of the figures utilises irony and humour in their designs. One of these humorous Netsuke pieces was titled No Concern of Mine, featuring a monkey wearing headphones, sunglasses and a mask looking completely unbothered. This example in particular was one of the more contemporary models, though it encapsulates the unseriousness and unique culture of the Netsuke.
Here is one of my favourite Netsuke pieces from the Museum’s collection- a little Dancing Goldfish, it just looks so happy and adorable!
Overall, I really enjoyed my time in the Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum, as it definitely further educated me on Kyoto’s influence in Japanese art and culture, as well as human expression during the Edo Period. I really admire how these little intricate works of art were preserved and reinvigorated in a contemporary context to become a valued and collectable item, despite their original purpose becoming redundant. It was honestly very refreshing to look at an art museum with a completely different collection of art, as none of the art museums or galleries have Netsuke in their collections.