Happy New Year!
Last year, there were some major exhibitions of maki-e and netsuke in Japan. Probably for that reason Koryuen, this website of mine, had more visitors than usual. I am very pleased, and would like to thank everyone who paid a visit.
It was also a distressing year due to the war between Ukraine and Russia, since there are many netsuke enthusiasts in both countries. I hope that the war will end soon.
Although the netsuke world was still somewhat affected by the pandemic, the International Netsuke Society convention was held in the Netherlands in May. In Japan, meetings of the Japanese Netsuke Society began to be held again, and events such as antique fairs seem to be taking place regularly just as before.
I am glad to see that the enjoyment of netsuke is coming back, for instance, going to netsuke exhibitions and events, buying netsuke at shops and antique markets, wearing them, and showing favorite pieces to each other. The good thing about netsuke is that, you can also enjoy them at home, by admiring them in the palm of your hand, displaying them and looking at them, reading books to deepen your knowledge, or creating your own pieces.
Netsuke can be enjoyed in a variety of ways and situations. This may be one of the reasons why netsuke have been loved around the world for so long.
I hope that many people will appreciate the multifaceted attraction of netsuke. I also hope that the information on this website will be of some use for you to pursue your own way of enjoying netsuke according to your situation.
Thank you for your visit, and I wish you all a wonderful new year!
Komada Makiko
