The aesthetics of Japanese craftsmanship move me. Be it tea ware, furniture or clothing, materials used, the craftsmanship techniques and forms captivate me, as they possess a depth that is almost impossible for to describe.
Netsuke must be seen and experienced firsthand, as pictures simply cannot do these treasures justice. Netsuke are small figures, just a few centimeters tall, carved from natural materials. Since the Edo period, they have served as a kind of button or fastening mechanism for the sagemonos worn on the belts of kimonos. Sagemonos are containers for small personal items, as kimonos have no pockets. Even everyday objects were richly decorated and imbued with symbolic meaning in those days.
For the depiction of netsuke, Japanese carvers drew inspiration from the animal world of Asian astrology, themes from mythological stories and mythical creatures, as well as, to some extent, humorous depictions of everyday life.
Even today, netsuke are still admired. They are highly sought after by collectors or are often worn as jewelry.
My hand-carved netsuke are inspired by historical models or are entirely my own designs.
Owl and Mouse
Inspired by the autumn forest, the netsuke "Full Moon Owl and Mouse" was created from fossilized mammoth ivory.
I crafted the owl's eyes from Baltic amber and horn and backed them with gold leaf; the mouse's eye is made of horn.
Diameter: 6 cm
Design and implementation
Price on request
Siamese fighting fish
This is a netsuke hand-carved from fossilized mammoth ivory, commissioned by a client.
It is a pleasure to be able to work with such excellent material.
Diameter: 6 cm
Concept and implemantation 2022
Private property
Deer
A netsuke deer carved by me, inspired by the autumn forests in the Bergwinkel region.
Free interpretation inspired by Japanese carvings.
Height: 5 cm
Private Property, Greetings to Canada
Hare
If you know, you know.
The white hare has many meanings. Hare netsuke became popular when Edmund de Waal, whom I greatly admire as an author and ceramicist, published his book "The Hare with Amber Eyes" with the animal as its cover image.
Diameter: 4 cm
Carved in the Japanese style, eyes made of horn
Privately owned
Cat
This piece of jewelry was custom-made in memory of the cat Krümel.
Diameter: 4 cm
Remember you must die
Private property
Fire Horse
Carved in the Japanese style from mammoth ivory.
The reddish-brown discolorations are natural and in some places enhanced by dyeing, which blends harmoniously with the theme of the Fire Horse, which is current in 2026.
created in 2015
Height: ca. 5 cm
Price on request
Standing Horse
created 2022
Freely adapted netsuke
Height: 6 cm
Private property
Grazing Horse
created 2014
Netsuke based on classic Japanese carving techniques
Height: 5 cm
Private property