"Netsuke are exquisite reminders of three centuries of Japanese life. In tiny sculptural masterworks, most under two inches high and originally destined to keep the cord attached to a gentleman's snuffbox from slipping through the belt of his kimono, the myths, legends, and cultural history of Japan is recorded. Tiny Buddhas, grinning female poets of the sixteenth century, monkeys, jesters, and craftsmen beam their imperishable cheerfulness toward the viewer, taking the mystery of the ages in their tiny strides. Netsuke: Japanese Life and Legend in Miniaturesfeatures over seventy of these superb artifacts, along with fascinating background on the figure and the object or idea it represents. "