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Artesania Rinconada
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Miscellaneous Treasures



 

Note:
Not all items are
available and may
need to be ordered.

Please keep in mind,
these are handmade so there may be a delay in receiving your order,
 if not in stock.

 

Celebrations Antiques and Fine Gifts since 1988   800.330.1920  
  Ojime, Netsuke, and Inro Boxes  

Since traditional kimonos have no pockets, Japanese men and women would wear a compartmentalized box called an Inro hung below the obi, a wide fabric kimono belt, on a double cord.
 At the top of the cord, a large carved bead called
netsuke (pronounced nets-key) acted as a toggle to anchor the inro with the cord passing under the obi.
The smaller
ojime
(pronounced oh-jay-meh, and used for both singular and plural) bead served as a sliding closure to secure the lid of the inro.
 Since the
netsuke sits atop the obi, it usually appears to be upside-down when strung as a necklace pendant, unless the designer strings through an open area rather than the hole or uses wirework to correct its orientation.

These hand carved boxwood beads reveal exquisite detail, and complicated undercuts.
Some skeptics suspect they are cast replicas, as the material and carvings seem too flawless
to be original handwork.
But it is the exceptionally tight grain of boxwood that allows for such intricate carving,
coupled with the skill of master wood carvers who can create such lifelike and personable creatures.

These carvings are produced in the Heibei Province of China.  After ivory was banned in the mid-1980's, boxwood was recently rediscovered.  Although different in color, it has a density and fine grain suitable for ivory-like detail.  A master carver first creates 5-10 ojime designs.  Fellow artists use these master beads as a reference for their own carvings.  Contemporary Chinese Master-Carvers take up to four hours to make each one, and are individually signed by the artists who carved them.  The completed beads are hand polished and waxed one more time to insure brightness and durability.

Click picture to go to a category
 


Collectible  -  Ojime...
Ojime
Complete Ojime...Page 1
Complete Ojime...Page 2
Complete Ojime...Page 3

Collectibles  -  Inro Boxes...
Inro Boxes


Collectibles  -  Netsuke...
Netsuke
Complete Netsuke...Page 1
Complete Netsuke...Page 2

 

 
   
Back to Top Last page update: 3/9/2006
 

Celebrations,  (in the Seacliff Center),  39140 South Highway One  (P.O. Box 790)
Gualala, CA 95445 USA   707.884.1920 / 800.330.1920


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