Netsuke (Songoku figure)

This Son Goku (The Monkey King) figure carries a wand, sacred books and scrolls. Inlay of brass and mother of pearl on leggings, scrolls and head provide additional adornment. The objects Son Goku carries likely relate to one of the stories in the novel Journey to the West.

Netsuke are small toggles, frequently carved into figurines, used as a counterweight to keep small bags and items secured by looping under the sash of a kimono as a form of exterior pocket. Men’s kimono included an obi (sash) which tied around the waist. A netsuke was secured at one end of a cord, and on the opposite end was an inro (box of stamps), a small bag, or other items the man wanted to carry with him. The length of the cord was run under the obi, with the netsuke at the top of the obi and the inro hanging below the obi.
The Tokugawa Shogunate popularized intricate netsuke in the 1700s and 1800s among the aristocrats in Edo. Later in the 19th century netsuke were status symbols favored by the merchant class, until the Meiji Revolution when western customs and style were en vogue.