Scales

In order to make the charms and amulets personal and private, I’d like to design a method in which they can be concealed or revealed as the wearer wishes. Either locket style or some type of veil. Firstly I have decided to look at scales.

Scale-mail seems to be the best find on a how-to, as I don’t want to use a backing to stitch the scales to..

This site has some useful tips, though I will be doing it in miniature.

I will start with copper as a practice material as silver is so expensive, however, my plan is to go on to silver afterwards as I am going to enamel some of the scales with transparent enamel, to try and give the shimmering effect

Reflection

When I began this blog, not having written one previously, I was uncertain as to how it would assist in my research. I chose WordPress and it has been kind to me, not quite as technically difficult as I first expected and the ability to edit and add to posts as you find more ideas and research is an excellent tool. Being able to access it from anywhere, on portable devices or other computers is a bonus. It has been conducive to compartmentalising my research and to developing it. I started with a very broad subject idea, which was to explore the reasons and results of people choosing jewellery as a good luck charm, amulet or talisman. The critical analysis and bibliography we wrote at the beginning of the year was an excellent starting point, critical thinking and in depth research, not simply from a visual point of view, but finding historical, anthropological and psychological journals was crucial in contextualising my practice.  Reading back through my blog now, I can see how it has helped me to focus. The problem I had with my area of research was that I didn’t know what objects I wanted to make, therefore I have been concentrating exclusively on the research itself. Having the research in front of me in the blog format is quite a revelation. Whereas previous research consisted of some websites saved to favourites, some printed pages, books and a sketchbook in a very disorganised and fractured way, I can now just scroll back to remind me of the direction I need to go, and if a tangent presents itself to be explored, which culminates in a dead end, it will be far easier to return to the original path. Another advantage to the blog is to be able to just make small random entry into it, when an idea occurs or you come across something of interest, i can foresee that I will be doing much more of that in the future.  That said, I still feel that I have only just begun. My research has been for the most part, external, rather than running alongside practical experimentation or work. I find it difficult to do the two together at the first stages of a project, though now I can identify a direction for my work to follow, the approach has become more clear to me, I look forward to continuing to use the blog for the purpose of reviewing the development of the jewellery conjointly with the research. The blog enables you to look at your own work more objectively and critically and evaluate them more effectively. The enjoyment has increased, the further into the blog I got. I feel like my own ideas are now starting to bubble to the surface. It is essential to have other contemporary artists to reference, to see someone else take on the same subject has opened my mind to new possibilities and to new materials to experiment with. I feel that now I have this foundation to my work, once I start in earnest on the making of the jewellery, the flow will be far more impelling and effective.

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Talismans, Amulets and the Written Word

Protective amulets  ward off evil by using magical words, characters and symbols. I have looked at runes in my previous post about the Anglo Saxon and Norse symbolism.Some are inscribed or carved onto the jewellery itself, some oriental amulets have characters embroidered in gold and silver thread. some are written onto parchment or hide and kept, with other small charms in an amulet case. These are often beautiful silver fastening boxes but can also be little silk envelopes, leather pouches or even tiny beaded purses.

Abracadabra is one of the most famous magic words. It is thought to be the name of a demon. On the amulets, the word drops a letter each time it is written, thus diminishing the demons power each time he reads it.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o275/JinxiBoo/ItsExplosiveBlog/Content/abracharm.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1241294539756

The top two of these exquisite silver amulet cases can be seen at the V & A in London.

Here is one of the beaded variety from beadcreator-family.com

These Omamuri pouches are made from colourful silks and come from japan.

A leather pouch or “gris-gris” from Africa

The cases are definitely my favourite. The styles and shapes can vary, they can be made from many materials. It would be interesting to see how an amulet pouch could be attached to a netsuke style animal and worn on either a necklace or sash of some sort, I will try to come up with some innovative solutions.

The Stieglitz collection at the Israel museum in Jerusalem has some beautiful examples.

Animal Guardians and Symbolism

Although I have touched on the symbolism of certain animals in my previous posts, there are a wealth of animals, whose powers and attributes could be passed to the wearers of an amulet of talisman in their likeness or made from some part of them. You can find an animal to represent any aspect of yourself you would like to enhance and focus on or to protect you from any type of negative occurrence. I admire Karin Roy’s take on suing animal symbolism so rather than using the lists of totem animals or shamanistic spirit animals, so prevalent on the internet, I have comprised a list of my own, with animals who’s “powers” could be attributes that we would like to cultivate or that could protect us in modern day situations. The one animal amulet I own of is the dragonfly, which symbolises transformation and elevation through learning, understanding, and growth.

The jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula, is almost immortal. At times of stress, it can turn itself back into a polyp, effectively turning back time, there seems to be no limit to how many times it can do this transformation. this could be a representation for seeking the child within us or remaining young at heart as well as the obvious power of longevity.

The sea cucumber is a lesson in fluidity, to get through a small space, it can transform into a liquid, then back into solid again. It may also hod the secret in maintaining collagen elasticity.

The platypus has an extra awareness of other living things nearby by using electrolocation, it picks up the tiny electrical signals in the muscles. The platypus has evolved to be perfectly adapted to his surroundings with totally unique solutions.

The Rhinoceros beetle has super strength and can lift many times his own weight, the male shows great courage and perseverance when it comes to wrestling an opponent. The Dung beetle is also strong and shows perseverance, it uses the moon and stars to navigate when pushing it’s dung ball to its nest.

Salamanders and axolotls have the best self healing powers, they can regenerate and regrow parts of their bodies and even parts of their internal organs.

Sloths are also very fast healers and have an incredible immune system. perhaps some people may be offended, though if presented with a sloth as an amulet, I will have to research this further! I wouldn’t, I am particularly fond of them.

The female box turtle, packages the males sperm inside her shell until the time is right, she then fertilises herself. The power to judge the right time for life-changing decisions is to be applauded.

Chitons cling to rocks in the pudding surf like limpets. They have a hard armour to protect them. They have hardiness and tenacity in the face of adversity and rough times.

Hen chicks chirp to alert siblings to food being available, so they can share in it, this selfless act helps to ensure survival of the whole family.

The Ibycus Rachel, also known as the ninja slug, has a small shell, not big enough to crawl into but has a long tail, which it wraps around itself to sleep. It is also the cupid of the slug world, shooting darts which secrete hormones at potential mates.

Hummingbirds are the most manoeuvrable fliers in the bird world, able to flit from one place to another at amazing speeds and agility They have an ability to sniff out the sweeter things in life and stamina enough to fly 500 miles non-stop. A talisman for the busiest of people.

The salmon uses the earth’s magnetic field to guide it back to it’s exact place of spawning after years at sea. An amulet to give to a loved one who is off travelling the world.

Feel that I have not quite exhausted this subject and will probably add to it as I find interesting animals to add. The animals I have chosen for their aesthetic appeal as wells their attributes. They are all creatures which will be interesting to interpret into jewellery.

Charms and Protection for Fertility, Childbirth and Infants

This is another area which I will be looking at making amulets for, looking at it from a point of view of the needs in todays world, but certainly incorporating some of the animal symbolism and stones found in this blog.  All three of these will always be concerns for most of us, and perhaps, the giving of a charm or amulet, is a way of making those who cannot actually help with the practicalities of fertility or childbirth, feel like they are helping in some way. I would prefer to make protective amulets for children, who can understand and use the symbolism themselves, for example to feel less afraid, rather than for protection of infants.

A symbol of fertility and of childbirth, perhaps because of their obvious resemblance to the female genitalia are cowrie shells. They have been used for millennia and can be seen to have been used for this purpose in the south Pacific, the Mediterranean rim, including Egypt, Africa, the Middle East, Japan. They have been formed into necklaces, bracelets, hung from belts or girdles, placed in the home, replicated in pottery and held in childbirth.

The Egyptian Ankh has been attributed with many origins, meanings and powers. One of these is that is it a representation of the male and female genitalia and is, as such used as a fertility charm. It’s meaning as a hieroglyph is “life”.

Frogs and fish are both animals which represent fertility, perhaps their prolific egg-laying helped with this symbolic view of these creatures. The British museum has amulets of each of these from early Amazonian culture.

The japanese had particular box-shaped netsuke, like this one from the Met Museum, New York, in the shape of  a dog (Inu Hariko), traditionally given to young women for fertility and a good marriage.

The deer is another animal, which is linked with sexuality and fertility, the stag in rut is particularly potent spectacle. Amulets made from deer antler or made to resemble a deer have long been used for fertility. A Roman recipe for protection against miscarriage includes the deer’s penis: A woman is guaranteed never to miscarry if, tied round her neck in gazelle leather, she wears white flesh from a hyena’s breast, seven hyena’s hairs, and the penis of a stag. (Pliny the Elder, Natural History 28.98; translation W.H.S. Jones) I don’t feel that I shall be making one of those, can’t see much of a market for it or an aesthetic value, either

In Switzerland, the ladybird is said to deliver babies, much like our stork, they are prolific egg layers and are seen as a symbol of fertility and good luck.

In the Seychelles, grows a fruit, the Coco De Mer, which looks like a female’s buttocks while the flower looks like a penis. Needless to say this is seen as an aphrodisiac and a fertility symbol. The coco de Mer is quite rare and sought after, so amulet jewellery is made in the shape of the fruit.

Mistletoe was revered by Druids and Celts as it grew on the sacred oak, they believed the juice of the berries represented sperm of the oak. The use has been incorporated into Christmas tradition and we still kiss beneath a sprig of it, hung from the ceiling.  Hawthorn is another plant which amulets have been made from to promote fertility, especially in Italy and Greece. In some areas of Greece, brides wear a Hawthorn wreath. In Rome, Hawthorn amulets were used to protect infants.

Lapis lazuli and rose quartz are the two main gem stones used for fertility amulets, lapis lazuli is also used to protect infants and is also known as the “child’s stone”

In addition to some of the objects above, which can be used for both fertility and childbirth, further protections at childbirth are: Bloodstone, also known as chalcedony, a black and green stone with flecks of red. Thought in ancient Egypt to be the blood of Isis, it was very much a women stone, used to ease childbirth or menstrual cramps and to prevent miscarriage.

Bear claw amulets protect a woman in childbirth, whereas wolfs tooth amulets protect a child from fear. These can still be found for sale easily on the internet, This one from https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/177005952/bear-claw-real-claw-pendant-front-bear?ref=market

Protection for Travellers and Hunters

Travelling has always been a risky business and also projects a person into the unknown so it is small wonder that protective amulets have been worn or carried for the express purpose of protecting a person whilst travelling. It would definitely help allay the uncertainty of what is around the corner, as well as possibly providing a link with home or loved ones, if the amulet was a present from someone close. Protection for travellers is, without doubt, an amulet I will be looking at making.

Moonstone, emerald and topaz are amongst the stones which are seen to offer protection for travellers. The association with the moon seems strong in amulets for travellers. Topaz was favoured by the Romans, known as the “stone of strength”. The Persians favoured emeralds, worn on the left arm on a green cord. Aquamarine was the stone to use to protect sea travellers, as it was said to have come from Neptune’s palace.

Some talismans were more complex in their making and had a precise recipe. Writing of talismans in his book The Occult Sciences (1891), Folklorist A. E. Waite stated:

“2. The Talisman of the Moon should be composed of a circular and well-polished plate of the purest silver, being of the dimensions of an ordinary medal. The image of a crescent, enclosed in a pentagram, should be graven on the obverse side. On the reverse side, a chalice must be encircled by the duadic seal of Solomon, encompassed by the letters of the lunar genius Pi-Job. This talisman is considered a protection to travellers, and to sojourners in strange lands. It preserves from death by drowning, by epilepsy, by dropsy, by apoplexy, and madness. The danger of a violent end which is predicted by Saturnian aspects in horoscopes of nativity, may be removed by its means. It should be composed on a Monday, when the moon is passing through the first ten degrees of Capricornus or Virgo, and is also well aspected with Saturn. Its consecration consists in exposure to a perfume composed of white sandal, camphor, aloes, amber, and pulverized seed of cucumber, burnt with desiccated stalks of mugwort, moonwort, and ranunculus, in a new earthen chafing-dish, which must be reduced, after the operation, into powder, and buried in a deserted spot. The talisman must be sewn up in a satchel of white silk, and fixed on the breast by a ribbon of the same colour, interlaced and tied in the form of a cross.

However, his bibliography seems to contain the work of other folklorists of the time and one cannot be absolutely certain of his source for these talismans as I cannot find any previous historical record for these. However, it is true to say that much of superstition is passed down as folklore and myth, rather than historical fact.

I prefer the idea that the giver or recipient of a talisman should be the one to charge it with positive thoughts, wishes or prayers. The maker only designates the purpose. The symbolic gesture of washing it in pure water before charging it makes it more personal to it’s owner

Amongst the animals used to protect the traveller were dolphins and lions, the former to protect sea travellers particularly.

The lion for those facing perilous journeys.

This is an ancient Egyptian amulet, housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Foot amulets, especially carved from orange stone were popular in ancient Egypt and in Scandinavia, they are still popular in Sweden an protect the wearer from injury to the limbs.

The St. Christopher medal is one of the best known protective symbols of the west. The most popular history is that he was a very strong Caanite, who, when seeking Christ, took advice from a hermit, who told him to assist people across a dangerous river. One day he helped a child and struggled with the weight. When the child told him that he was that heavy because he bore the weight of the world, Christopher realised it was Christ he was carrying and the child disappeared and the weight lifted. St Christopher is no longer seen as a saint by the church but his popularity has not diminished. He is depicted with a staff in his hand and a child on his shoulder. I am not, however, convinced that the medal form of jewellery is something I would like to emulate but did not think these should be omitted from my blog because of their popularity.

In Icelandic books, it is written that the Vikings had a symbol, the “Vegvisir” which was said to be able to prevent travellers from getting lost.

But was this a magical symbol or a form of compass? The vikings were believed to have used sunstone compasses to navigate, akin to a type of sundial. Another Norse symbol given to travellers is that of Fenrir, the demon who will one day destroy the world, bound. These are still popular today, a kind of Norse St. Christopher medal, this one from http://www.tgdesign.no/shop/product/995-anheng?tm=viking-shop/solv-2

Natural Objects as Talismans

Many natural materials have been used as amulets over thousands of years, due to their appearance, colour or properties. Fossils, stones and plants being some of these.

Out of all the fossils, my personal favourite and one of the most widely used is the ammonite, which gets its’ name from the Ancient Egyptian goat god Ammon, who’s horns it resembles. There is evidence that stone age man used ammonites as amulets. The Ancient Egyptians used them to evoke dreams or trance state (Rattcsh, C and Muller-Ebeling, E. The Encyclopedia of Aphrodisiacs. Google e-book found at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=QHZnAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false), this spread to Ancient Greece and Rome, where an ammonite placed beneath the pillow was protection against insomnia and bad dreams. A coin which has been dated 480BC, reads “The horn of Ammon, which makes beautiful dreams”. Some Romans believed that a pyritised ammonite can enable one to predict the future in a dream. From fossil folklore at the Natural History Museum in London, at nhm.ac.uk, in England, two legends arose around holy people turning a snakes into stones. St Hilda, who was a Saxon abbess in Whitby in the seventh century, was said to have cleared the ground to build the abbey from an infestation of snakes by praying.

Often heads were carved into the ammonites to make them ore saleable. St Keyna, in the south of England had the same power attributed to her.

In India, black limestone ammonites found in Nepal are called Saligrams and are sacred to the hindus as a chakra stone of the god Vishnu, Eight dividing lines of the chambers represent the eight chakras of absolute completeness and the eightfold path of enlightenment. Vishnu is often depicted holding the saligram.

In Feng Shui and Taoism, ammonites are seen as amulets to attract abundance and wealth. In New Guinea, tribes people carry them as amulets for hunting and growing. I have a small collection of ammonites which will be used in some of my jewellery. their mathematically perfect spiral and smoothness

Belemnites were thought to be thunderbolts or thunder stones, left when lightning strikes the earth, and, as it was said that lightning never strikes the same place twice, they were used as protection against being struck by lightening.

Toad stones are the fossilised teeth of the fish Lepdotes. They were often set into rings and jewellery in bitten to protect against poison and stings.

In Malta, Fossilised teeth of another fish, Sargus, was said to be serpents eyes from serpents cursed by the shipwrecked apostle, St. Paul. They were set in gold and given to papal envoys to Malta, even Henry the 5th of England owned some. Again, these were worn as protective amulets.

Crystals and gemstones are used as talismans, in jewellery, as protection or to bring about required circumstances. There are many books, charts and websites dedicated to these in the guise of New Age spirituality, such as this one.

The colours of gem stones can also be linked to the seven chakras and are used to stimulate the chakras when worn as jewellery or used in meditation or massage.

I will take a closer look at a few of the more prominent stones and ones which I would like to incorporate in my work.

Jade has been regarded as the most precious of stones in China for millennia, thought to have been the solidified sperm of the Chinese Dragon, it it often carved into shapes of animals or flowers and used in different forms as an amulet to protect from early death or from bad fortune, also as a charm for good fortune,for everlasting love and much more. It is still widely in use today. One of the earliest to be seen at the British Museum is a coiled dragon from the Hongshan culture from around 35000BC

Turquoise is one of the most popular stones, thought by the Aztecs to be the stone of the gods and linked by them and other native American tribes to the sky gods and rain. It has been used to guard the wearer against bad luck, failure, poverty to ensure success in hunting. In Turkey it was carried by horsemen to protect from injury from a fall. With other blue stones such as lapis lazuli, it was believed to have a regenerative power and was often used in jewellery and in amulets bound in a mummy’s bandages. The most common of these being the Djed Pillar, like this one at the British Museum, symbolising stability and endurance.

Plants and trees are among the natural objects used as amulets. This is unsurprising as many plants and trees have medicinal uses as well as bearing fruit or being edible. I found this beautiful illustration of the sacred trees of Ireland on http://imgarcade.com/1/ancient-irish-alphabet/.

The early Celts and native Americans believed that each type of tree had an essence which could be tapped into. Amulets carved from wood are wearable items which still maintain the essence of the trees that came from. The tree itself is also a sacred symbol, which crosses many continents, seen widely as the tree of life.

As parts of some plants can be short lived, representations of them have been widely accepted of bearing the same power, especially when worn as jewellery. The chilli pepper being one of these, used originally to protect against the evil eye and against infidelity, later as a good luck charm especially in Italy. Red plastic ones are commonplace, but the shape was also copied in gold or silver and morphed into a horn type pendant, known as the “corno”.

Shamrocks and clovers are other plants, which are short lived in their natural form. Sometimes they are encased in resin or glass, or pressed to make them more enduring, but often are recreated in metals, bejewelled, painted or enamelled as a widely accepted representation of the plant and as a good luck charm.

Anglo Saxon and Norse Guardians

Further to the guardians post, I decided to take a closer look at some Saxon or Anglo Saxon amulets, charms and jewellery. Much of our language, traditions and genealogy is owed to the Anglo Saxons.The Saxons were a Germanic race who came to Britain from seven tribes, including many from Scandinavia. They were a warrior race, prowess on the battlefield and in combat was their aspiration, with heroes like Beowulf. Some of their symbolism and culture, has, unfortunately been usurped by racially bigoted groups, making it mildly uncomfortable for me to use some of it in jewellery. However, their artistry in jewellery making was incredible and use of runes, zoomorphic figures and fierce animal symbolism could be instructional to my practice. Men and women had equal standing in the Saxon community before Christianity. These tribes were not united until the 7th century. They shared much symbolism, art and polytheistic religion with the Vikings.

One amulet that seems to be more prominent than others is the hammer of Thor or Thurin, also a Norse symbol

This was worn for protection, it survived the conversion to Christianity of the Saxon and Norse people and a later form of it was a Wolfs cross:

Irminsul was the Saxon “world tree” which supported the middle world which humans inhabited, had it’s roots in the underworld, it’s braces supporting the higher realms. The tree represented the connection between the three worlds.

Many protective zoomorphic representations have been found on shields, especially monstrous pike style fish, hippogriffs, serpents and man-beasts. These designs have also been echoed on brooches, and, it is presumed, protect their owners from evil by the use of these mythical beasts powers.

Brooches and buckles with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figures have been found in Britan with many of these looking jumbled until further investigation shows hem to be abstract and in different planes. The British museum has a blog on decoding the Saxon treasures. They assume the human face to be that of the god Woden, with his two ravens. The other powerful creatures are there to give protection and transfer characteristics to their wearers, for example snakes would represent authority and respect.

The fierce wild boar was widely used , especially on helmets and battle banners. It represented strength and fertility. It has been found on helmet crests in both mens and women graves

The Anglo Saxon alphabet was runic, with each character having a symbolic meaning as well as being a letter. Rune stones could be used as talismans or for divination.

Two large hoards of Saxon treasure have been unearthed in England. The jewellery and ornaments are exquisite, showing detailed and skilled craftsmanship. Their skill at cloisonné, setting into gold was evident. They used garnet above all else but sometimes incorporated materials such as glass and shell. Garnet is a beautiful deep red and represents life force, stamina and well-being.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_image.aspx?image=ps269095.jpg&retpage=20819

Guardians of the Soul and Spirit

This post is an examination of some of the amulets which are intended to protect the wearer from evil intent or bad luck or fortune rather than the talismans and charms which are intended to bring good luck.

The eye is one of the earliest and most widespread symbols, which is believed to be a powerful protection against the evil eye, designed to out stare the evil one, thus deflecting it’s power away from the wearer. Eye symbols have been found throughout the world, dating back from prehistoric times to modern usage.

The Ancient Egyptians “All Seeing Eye” was the eye of the falcon god, Horus. Desmond Morris in his book “Bodyguards” (Element Books Ltd, Shaftesbury, Dorset 1999), states that the eye had the power to see all the evil in the world and to protect the wearer from them, including illness and poverty. It’s influence and popularity spread throughout the Mediterranean, where eyes were not just worn as amulets but were widely painted onto boats to protect the occupants.

The blue eye found mainly in Turkey and Greece has the same use, to protect against the evil eye, particularly against jealousy, which, it is believed, can have a detrimental affect on the recipient, as a jealous person can bear ill will towards the object of their envy . These are mainly used as pendants, but can be found as larger objects to protect the home, or tiny ones which are pinned to the back of an infants shoulder.

In Italy, children were viewed as being particularly vulnerable to the evil eye. On protection from this was the “Cimaruta”, meaning sprig of rue. These often had items such as keys, flowers, fish and moons attached. They were linked to the moon goddess Diana, the herb rue, itself a healing herb with links to the goddess, the key, believed to be the key Diana used to open the gates to the heavens to let the moon cross them. The amulets were always made from silver.

The one above is from the Pitt Rivers Museum, which has a large collection of amulets from around the world. http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/amulets.html

Also at the same museum, a Greek amulet made to protect infants is the Hippocampus, a mythical beast which is half fish, half horse. The amulet also incorporates little bells to distract the agent of the evil eye.

Horses are a popular form in protective amulets from around the world. The Museum of African Art in Belgrade has a collection of horse and rider amulets of the Kotoko people of the Lake Chad region. They believed that the amulets had the power to appease the spirits which can cause weakness of the soul, sadness, fear or illness.

The Celtic people of Europe left behind many horse amulets, mainly cast from bronze and highly stylised. The Celtic goddess Epona had a strong connection with horses and later the sun-gods’ chariot was drawn by a horse. The horse was a symbol of life force, fertility, of strength in battle, also with healing and regeneration, according to Miranda Green in her book “Symbol and Image in Celtic Religious Art” (Routlege, New York 1989)

http://education.gtj.org.uk/en/item1/25875

Bronze horses have been found in many other world regions and civilisations such as the Hittites, Early Persians and many more, the horse being a symbol of strength, loyalty and speed, often associated with gods. The horse being one of my favourite animals, it is one I shall explore in my creative work. The idea of a half horse with fishes tail, the hippocampus, is particularly appealing as I am an avid lover of the ocean and being in it, by it or on it.

Netsuke and symbolism

Netsuke were a wonderful way of wearing symbolic animals, religious symbols and much more. There are still some contemporary netsuke makers today. I love the simplicity of the attachment to a sash, and the fact that there initial use was to attach a small pouch or box to carry essential items, rather like an external pocket. I remember my late grandfather having a small collection of Netsuke, the carving were exquisite but another thing I loved about them was the shape, usually ovoid with a tactile element of smoothness and This explanation of the Netsuke from http://www.netsuke.org:

A netsuke is a small sculptural object which has gradually developed in Japan over a period of more than three hundred years. Netsuke (singular and plural) initially served both functional and aesthetic purposes. The traditional form of Japanese dress, the kimono, had no pockets. Women would tuck small personal items into their sleeves, but men suspended their tobacco pouches, pipes, purses, writing implements, and other items of daily use on a silk cord passed behind their obi (sash). These hanging objects are called sagemono. The netsuke was attached to the other end of the cord preventing the cord from slipping through the obi. A sliding bead (ojime) was strung on the cord between the netsuke and the sagemono to allow the opening and closing of the sagemono.

The entire ensemble was then worn, at the waist, and functioned as a sort of removable external pocket. All three objects (netsuke, ojime and the different types of sagemono) were often beautifully decorated with elaborate carving, lacquer work, or inlays of rare and exotic materials. Subjects portrayed in netsuke include naturally found objects, plants and animals, legends and legendary heroes, myths and mystical beasts, gods and religious symbols, daily activities, and myriad other themes. Many netsuke are believed to have been talismans. These items eventually developed into highly coveted and collectible art forms. Today we see a broad range from “folk art” carvings to levels of sophistication some consider to be fine art.

Here are some examples of contemporary Netsuke artists:

The Elder Kirin by David Carlin

Octopus by Ko Baas

Tiger Typhoon by Nick Lamb

Bamboo and Frog by Doug Sanders

Some of these contemporary Netsuke artists tell stories, some use symbolism, some use the Netsuke purely as a form of sculptural expression. I will explore the symbolism a little more and look at adapting the Netsuke idea as a form of charm.