The uniqueness of netsuke is derived from its function. When designing a netsuke if the artist was to ignore its function the result would either be, a poor quality netsuke or an object which is a small sculpture but not a netsuke.

So there are several consideration netsuke artists must make. These are size, durability of the material, compactness of the design and the inclusion of a himotoshi (a channel for the cord to pass through). If the netsuke is too large it will not fit between the kimono and the obi. If the material is not durable the netsuke’s details will soon ware away and obviously without a cord hole it is not a netsuke.

As a maker of netsuke these restraints provide an interesting and ongoing challenge with each design.