It is often used as a medium for the art of netsuke.

I opened my hand, where the evil little netsuke had been resting.

"He collected for many years and ended up with 2,000 netsuke."

Some Japanese ivory netsuke figures on a table by themselves.

As of 2009 this work is the most expensive netsuke at world antique market.

"The netsuke are of a quality that is very scarce.

I felt for the light switch and touched the little netsuke monkey.

It is the wooden netsuke, made in the 18th century.

Each is carved into a particular shape and image, similar to the netsuke, though smaller.

They are often the subject of netsuke carvings and other representations.

The lantern scene is a favorite, also being carved into netsuke.

When I look at the netsuke here, they make me think of the Baron.

It's netsuke, nineteenth century, dating from a few years after the opening of Japan.

That was all I had left: my tiny dour-faced netsuke piece.

Part of the nut's shell sometimes remains on netsuke carvings.

I took the little netsuke frog from the drawer and set it beside the stack of money.

"It's a netsuke heirloom from my wife's family," he said.

Clams are most commonly the motifs for this type of netsuke.

"It was a record sale of netsuke totaling just over $1.1 million."

The netsuke monkey had been placed alongside my flashlight on the bedside table.

This gallery provides visitors with a 360-degree view of the miniature sculptures known as netsuke.

I have an art shipment to take care of; a whole freighter loaded with netsuke.

A Netsuke is an ornament suspended from the obi and worn by men.

He set up house there, with a Japanese man younger than himself, and there put the netsuke on display once again.

He was an acknowledged expert on ivory netsuke.