Home > Carving > Natural Netsuke: Tiny Carvings Have Big Impact
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Natural Netsuke: Tiny Carvings Have Big Impact
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Netsuke carver Janel Jacobson (left) makes many of her own carving tools: some are less than one millimeter in breadth. |
Elaborately detailed, very small works of art and craftsmanship ... that's a good, general description of a netsuke (pronounced "netskay"). Originally a carved toggle, developed centuries ago in Asia, it kept a pouch cord from slipping through a kimono sash. If you've never seen one, the elegant work of modern master Janel Jacobson is a good place to start.
Her delicately carved netsukes have won her international recognition in a competitive market.
Working on one piece at a time - a process that can take between 100 and 200 hours of meticulous carving - Janel uses a variety of woods and other materials. She likes boxwood, because it can take some color and be stained. Other favorites include African Blackwood and any woods that have a dark and light definition between the heart and sapwood. She's even tried her hand at ivory... from a woolly mammoth!
"A dealer in legal mammoth ivory in Alaska selected a long, beautiful piece of tusk which was found in sand and gravel," she explained. This piece has a more pleasant odor than those found in the vicinity of the dead animal.
"Carving ivory is more of a filing, scraping, sanding and polishing procedure, and since it takes a high polish you've got to work hard to eliminate scratches."
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| On one side of "Katydid, Katydid," Janel added two holes, called himotoshi, for the traditional cord that held a pouch.
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Unlike traditional Netsuke, which often illustrated people from folktales or jokes, Janel's work is based in nature.
"I've always enjoyed looking at nature," Janel recalled. "And interesting surprises stick in my mind ... like discovering it was a katydid that was making the noise ... or seeing a little tree frog sitting on a raspberry leaf and wondering how it got there. I choose to carve things that interest me. My goal is to share a moment of quiet pleasure with the person looking at it."
Frogs and toads are favorites. They're readily available in her backyard, and she's even raised a few in a terrarium. Though it helps to see the animal move, Janel also refers to photographs and collected specimens of insects, leaves, and sticks. Her animals are a little stylized to fit the form, but she tries to use distinct characteristics of the subject for accurate, recognizable and intimate representation.
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| After years of carving porcelain, this boxwood "Tree Frog & Spring Apple" was Janel's first exploration into woodcarving.
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Aside from one or two shows a year, Janel finds marketing her work to be a challenge. There's a shortage of collectors, and more and more carvers every year. With so much time put into each piece, she charges thousands of dollars for a single netsuke. Janel loves what she does. Her web site makes her feel more connected to others who are interested in netsuke and netsuke carving. And she enjoys meeting those rare individuals - her buyers - who share her passion for netsuke.
Janel's work, past and present, is online at
www.janeljacobson.com.