I found this netsuke in the Prince Takamado's netsuke collection at Tokyo National Museum. For those who have never heard of "netsuke," a netsuke is a small carved ornament, especially of ivory or wood, worn as part of Japanese traditional dress as a toggle by which an article may be attached to the sash of a kimono.
I love netsuke because they are delicate, exquisite and beautiful, but this 10cm item is also funny. The left half of this netsuke is sushi with salmon roe (i.e., beginning) while the right half is dying salmon after spawning (i.e., end), as suggested by its title, 阿吽 (a-hum or a-un) or "Beginning and End."
In Japan, this term is known better as part of the sayings of "阿吽の呼吸 (a-hum breathing)" or "阿吽の仲 (a-hum relationship)," meaning an inherently harmonious relationship or non-verbal communication. "A-hum" is also known as the name of a pair of guardian dogs, i.e., "a" for a dog with its mouth open and "hum" for the other with its mouth closed, at the entrance of shrines or temples.
It's embarrassing, but it wasn't until I encountered this small piece of sculpture that I learned that "a-hum" means a beginning and an end...
The 10cm tall netsuke in the above photo "Frog and ants" is also on view at the collection (i.e., Prince Takamado's netsuke collection of the Tokyo National Museum). The frog escaping from ants desperately, but cutely first attracted my attention, but what surprised me most was that the carver is American David Carlin.
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| 根付 (netsuke) titled "Beginning and End" |
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| Right half, dying salmon meaning "End" |
I love netsuke because they are delicate, exquisite and beautiful, but this 10cm item is also funny. The left half of this netsuke is sushi with salmon roe (i.e., beginning) while the right half is dying salmon after spawning (i.e., end), as suggested by its title, 阿吽 (a-hum or a-un) or "Beginning and End."
In Japan, this term is known better as part of the sayings of "阿吽の呼吸 (a-hum breathing)" or "阿吽の仲 (a-hum relationship)," meaning an inherently harmonious relationship or non-verbal communication. "A-hum" is also known as the name of a pair of guardian dogs, i.e., "a" for a dog with its mouth open and "hum" for the other with its mouth closed, at the entrance of shrines or temples.
It's embarrassing, but it wasn't until I encountered this small piece of sculpture that I learned that "a-hum" means a beginning and an end...
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| Netsuke titled "Frog and Ants" |
The 10cm tall netsuke in the above photo "Frog and ants" is also on view at the collection (i.e., Prince Takamado's netsuke collection of the Tokyo National Museum). The frog escaping from ants desperately, but cutely first attracted my attention, but what surprised me most was that the carver is American David Carlin.
But then, I realized how presumptuous of me to assume that only Japanese can appreciate and carve netsuke..... I love the novels of Agatha Christie, Francoise Sagan, P. D. James and other western authors and write posts in English. A Japanese friend of mine loves and studies European music and composes European style music!
1枚目と2枚目の写真、東京国立博物館で見つけた根付「阿吽」です。いくらの寿司と鮭で「阿吽」って何？と最初は分からなかったのですが、英語のタイトル「Beginning and End」を見て納得。そしてえっ？阿吽って「初めと終わり」という意味だったの？お恥ずかしい、知りませんでした。美しいだけでなく、ファニーな根付に感動しました！
下の「蛙と蟻」も東京国立博物館で見つけたました。可愛いなと思って説明を読んだら、なんと作者は David Carlin 氏。「へえ、日本人じゃないのに根付彫れるのね」と思った瞬間に、自分がいかに傲慢であったか痛感しました。日本人だって西欧文化分かりますもんね。友人にヨーロッパのクラシックをこよなく愛する現代音楽作曲家がおります。ごめんなさい🙇。
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