netsuke

American  

[net-skee, -skey, ne-tsoo-ke] / ˈnɛt ski, -skeɪ, ˈnɛ tsʊˈkɛ /

noun

1. (in Japanese art) a small figure of ivory, wood, metal, or ceramic, originally used as a buttonlike fixture on a man's sash, from which small personal belongings were hung.

---

netsuke British  

/ ˈnɛtsʊkɪ /

noun

1. (in Japan) a carved toggle, esp of wood or ivory, originally used to tether a medicine box, purse, etc, worn dangling from the waist

---

Etymology

Origin of netsuke

1880–85; < Japanese, equivalent to ne root + tsuke (earlier tuke ( y ) attach

Example Sentences

His research took him to the family’s ancestral home in Odessa; to Belle-Epoque Paris; and to the Palais Ephrussi in Vienna, where the netsuke resided until Austria fell under Nazi rule.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

When Mr. de Waal, a British ceramicist, inherited 264 of these netsuke from a relative in the 1990s, he became fascinated by their artistry—and their provenance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

The author, himself a renowned ceramist, structured his family saga around a collection of 264 netsuke he inherited from his uncle.

From Washington Post • Jan. 7, 2022

But perhaps the stronger point is that the netsuke are not metaphors.

From Washington Post • Jan. 7, 2022

In addition to his tsubas and prints, Willy had a collection of so-called netsuke, some in boxwood, some in ivory, small, dice-like carvings, representing with remarkable animation all sorts of real and fantastic scenes.

From Atlantis by Seltzer, Adele Szold