American Netsuke

[dfmccarthy]

Netsuke, ("the most popular pronunciation is net-ski, while the actual Japanese is closer to net-skeh)", is a Japanese artform. Early netsuke could be as large as 15cm/6". More recent is typically about 5cm/2". It started as a practical object, but evolved over time into small works of art. Since you carried it with you at all times, it became something you could hold in your hand and run your fingers over, contemplating its beauty. A way to "center" yourself in times of stress. Typical subjects for the netsuke were animals and mythical creatures.



The following information is from www.spindel.com/whatis.htm.



"Because of its derivation from a functional object, the creation of a fine netsuke poses a tremendous challenge to the artist. Designs have to be compact, with no sharp or protruding edges, which would either snag a beautiful silk kimono, or break off in use. There should be openings (himotoshi) for the cord to pass through, carefully placed so the netsuke would hang attractively when worn. The netsuke should also balance when it is being displayed as a fine piece of sculpture. Netsuke should feel good when handled and should be carefully finished and be aesthetically appealing from every angle, including upside down."



Seems like an accurate description of Spyderco products to me.

[swede]

You're right. I collect both netsuke and spydies, and they feel the same... your hand just wants to keep running over them.
Great comparison!

Dave

[dialex]

Interesting... There are many years I've been fascinated by Japanese culture. I think I'd consider all spidies as "netsukes".

[roguesoul]

Thanks for the culture! A perfect representation would be the Lil’ Temperance, the indexing divots are like wells of serenity.
<img src="http://www.merr.com/users/rogue/temperanceonend.jpg">

[dfmccarthy]

Oooooh! Nice picture. What are you using for a camera and how did you include it in your post? Does that mean there's an easy way to put more than two pictures in one post? I'm planning on posting some pictures of how I modified my Rescue and was going to do multiple posts to get past the two picture limit.

[roguesoul]

Camera is a Kodak DC3400 it took me over 600 pictures to master all the setting for a good image. You need a web site or picture hosting site where you store your pictures and then put the link for the image between the "" img src="HERE "> you need < before img

Make sure to resize the image before posting so people with low bandwidth modems don’t have to wait for it to load. You can always get an excellent image at around 25kb in size and mine also always fit inside the smallest screen size resolution 640x480


Spyderco over all others! <img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

Edited by - roguesoul on 7/5/2002 10:04:11 PM