When people
first encounter ojime, netsuke and sagemono at exhibitions or are given
the opportunity at auction to handle these wonderful miniature works
of art. They are immediately overwhelmed by the bug and will more than
likely never fully recover. The condition actually gets worse through
time, it is totally incurable.
How is it that such small objects can have such a profound effect on
people? No one can be satisfied with owning or acquiring just one. Whatever
the answer these tiny Japanese objects d'art have sufficient power to
influence people into making regular use of cheque books and credit
cards.
My main
purpose in creating this web site is to give you the visitor a brief
introduction to these wonderful creations and to illustrate a glimpse
into the many facets of Japanese culture and the very best of mans ability
to create such awe inspiring objects.
Quite apart
from their artistic merit, ojime, netsuke and sagemono are noteworthy
for the myriad subject matter they portray. They depict images from
a culture that can trace its heritage back to prehistoric times, providing
an insight into Japan's distant past. Revealing its people's affinity
with nature and offering glimpses of its curious customs and legends
as well as its history.
Japanese
art dictates that function is beautiful and that beauty is functional.
Standards well served by ojime, netsuke and inro. Japan's feudal society
was highly stratified. The commoners, peasants, hunters, and fishermen
often made their own. The upper classes, warriors, clergy, nobility
and wealthy merchants, commissioned the best artisans to create these
wonderful objects, giving them free rein in matters of subject ,shape
and material. These ensembles were conversation pieces as well as status
symbols and functional accessories.
The following
are some examples of netsuke, ojime and inro. I hope your brief visit
to my site has given you an insight to these marvellous objects and
that you are now a little wiser about them. Who knows you may even have
caught the bug!
Gallery
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