[net-skee, -skey; Japn. ne-tsoo-ke] 
| (in Japanese art) a small figure of ivory, wood, metal, or ceramic, originally used as a buttonlike fixture on a man's sash, from which small personal belongings were hung. |
| net·su·ke (nět'sə-kē') n. pl. netsuke or net·su·kes A small toggle, often in the form of a carved ivory or wood figure, used to secure a purse or container suspended on a cord from the sash of a kimono. [Japanese.] |
netsuke
ornamental togglelike piece, usually of carved ivory, used to attach a medicine box, pipe, or tobacco pouch to the obi (sash) of a Japanese man's traditional dress. During the Tokugawa period (1603-1868), netsukes were an indispensable item of dress as well as being fine works of miniature art.
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