Subject Categories
Like many other art forms, netsuke reflect the nature of the society that produced them. This effect is particularly pronounced in netsuke, owing to long periods of isolation imposed both by geography and internal politics and limited avenues of self-expression for Japanese citizens due to custom and law. As a result, netsuke display every aspect of Japanese culture, including its rich folklore and religion, crafts, trades, and professions, all types of people and creatures, both real and imagined, and every kind of object. As in other aspects of Japanese culture, the subjects portrayed by netsuke trend, over the long term, away from an initial emphasis on motifs of Chinese derivation toward a focus on objects of more strictly national interest.
- people - famous and anonymous, current, historical, real and fictitious, children, warriors, priests, etc.
- craft, trades, professions - often depicting actions (fishermen catching fish, woodcutters cutting wood), or examples(i.e., a stylized apple for an orchardist or apple merchant)
- animals - zodiac animals and others. It is worth noting that traditional netsuke style depicts octopus figures as having a tube-like siphon protruding from the "face", similar to a mouth. If one examines closely, one will find that some octopuses have nine tentacles instead of eight. These octopi will usually be found embracing beautiful women.
- plants or plant products - Small ones, such as beans or chestnuts, are often carved actual size.
- deities and mythical creatures - often from Chinese mythology and religion
- non-living things - the smallest category. Common examples include roof tiles, coins, and tools.
- abstract - mon patterns and other designs
- sexual - Shunga netsuke may depict a male and female in sexual conjugation or may contain only subtle or symbolic sexual references.
Some netsuke represent single, simple, objects, and some depict entire scenes from history, mythology, or literature.
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