Tobacco case

Museum number:
9-12550a-d
Permalink:
ark:/21549/hm210912550a@2dd
Alternate number:
3522 (previous number (Design Dept.))
Accession number:
Acc.3032
Description:
Tobacco case, pipe holder-netsuke, ojime: The case (a) of dark, soft, carved wood is shaped like a cone with point cut off and corners rounded. Carved to represent a seated bear or monkey, holding a peach of inlaid ivory. The face (b) is carved separately of rich, dark harder wood, and functions as lid to case, attached by blue cord. Face is smooth, with tiny incised lines to represent fur. Inlaid beads for eyes. Interior of case hollowed out. Pipe holder c): carved wood to represent standing man in stretched position, mouth agape, ribs showing. Long legs; & arms are jointed at ends. Trunk of body hollowed out in back. Key hole shaped hole in base. Cord hole through beard. Ojime d) lacquer (?) bead, with pressed mold decoration of phoenix and clouds; Tobacco container; The tabako-ire was commonly worn by farmers, laborers and merchants, and was popular until the introduction of the cigarette. It was usually worn suspended from the waist, supported by the netsuke/pipeholder. The ojime functioned to keep the case closed by tightening the cord. The pipe holder is designed to lock the small bowl of the pipe into the ‘key-hole’, the stem held in place, parallel to the back of the body by fitting between the joined hands. Pipe holder almost identical to 9-12557.
Donor:
Design Department (UC Berkeley)
Collection place:
Japan
Verbatim coll. place:
Japan
Culture or time period:
Japanese
Materials:
Wood (plant material)
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Netsukes and Phoenixes
Accession date:
1974
Department:
Asia (except western Russia)
Images:
Hearst Museum object titled Tobacco case, accession number 9-12550a-d, described as Tobacco case, pipe holder-netsuke, ojime: The case (a) of dark, soft, carved wood is shaped like a cone with point cut off and corners rounded. Carved to represent a seated bear or monkey, holding a peach of inlaid ivory. The face (b) is carved separately of rich, dark harder wood, and functions as lid to case, attached by blue cord. Face is smooth, with tiny incised lines to represent fur. Inlaid beads for eyes. Interior of case hollowed out. Pipe holder c): carved wood to represent standing man in stretched position, mouth agape, ribs showing. Long legs; & arms are jointed at ends. Trunk of body hollowed out in back. Key hole shaped hole in base. Cord hole through beard. Ojime d) lacquer (?) bead, with pressed mold decoration of phoenix and clouds; Tobacco container; The tabako-ire was commonly worn by farmers, laborers and merchants, and was popular until the introduction of the cigarette. It was usually worn suspended from the waist, supported by the netsuke/pipeholder. The ojime functioned to keep the case closed by tightening the cord. The pipe holder is designed to lock the small bowl of the pipe into the ‘key-hole’, the stem held in place, parallel to the back of the body by fitting between the joined hands. Pipe holder almost identical to 9-12557.
Legacy documentation:
Documentation associated with Hearst Museum object titled Tobacco case, accession number 9-12550a-d, described as Tobacco case, pipe holder-netsuke, ojime: The case (a) of dark, soft, carved wood is shaped like a cone with point cut off and corners rounded. Carved to represent a seated bear or monkey, holding a peach of inlaid ivory. The face (b) is carved separately of rich, dark harder wood, and functions as lid to case, attached by blue cord. Face is smooth, with tiny incised lines to represent fur. Inlaid beads for eyes. Interior of case hollowed out. Pipe holder c): carved wood to represent standing man in stretched position, mouth agape, ribs showing. Long legs; & arms are jointed at ends. Trunk of body hollowed out in back. Key hole shaped hole in base. Cord hole through beard. Ojime d) lacquer (?) bead, with pressed mold decoration of phoenix and clouds; Tobacco container; The tabako-ire was commonly worn by farmers, laborers and merchants, and was popular until the introduction of the cigarette. It was usually worn suspended from the waist, supported by the netsuke/pipeholder. The ojime functioned to keep the case closed by tightening the cord. The pipe holder is designed to lock the small bowl of the pipe into the ‘key-hole’, the stem held in place, parallel to the back of the body by fitting between the joined hands. Pipe holder almost identical to 9-12557.Documentation associated with Hearst Museum object titled Tobacco case, accession number 9-12550a-d, described as Tobacco case, pipe holder-netsuke, ojime: The case (a) of dark, soft, carved wood is shaped like a cone with point cut off and corners rounded. Carved to represent a seated bear or monkey, holding a peach of inlaid ivory. The face (b) is carved separately of rich, dark harder wood, and functions as lid to case, attached by blue cord. Face is smooth, with tiny incised lines to represent fur. Inlaid beads for eyes. Interior of case hollowed out. Pipe holder c): carved wood to represent standing man in stretched position, mouth agape, ribs showing. Long legs; & arms are jointed at ends. Trunk of body hollowed out in back. Key hole shaped hole in base. Cord hole through beard. Ojime d) lacquer (?) bead, with pressed mold decoration of phoenix and clouds; Tobacco container; The tabako-ire was commonly worn by farmers, laborers and merchants, and was popular until the introduction of the cigarette. It was usually worn suspended from the waist, supported by the netsuke/pipeholder. The ojime functioned to keep the case closed by tightening the cord. The pipe holder is designed to lock the small bowl of the pipe into the ‘key-hole’, the stem held in place, parallel to the back of the body by fitting between the joined hands. Pipe holder almost identical to 9-12557.

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