What are Netsuke? Meet the animals of the Japanese Zodiac

Which zodiac are you? Dr Ai Fukunaga, Curator of East Asian Collections at the Chester Beatty introduces a fascinating new exhibition at the much-loved Dublin museum.

The twelve zodiac animals—rat, ox, tiger, hare (rabbit), dragon, snake, horse, sheep (goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and boar (pig)— represent the twelve-year cycles in Asia.

Celebrating the New Year, this new exhibition highlights Japanese netsuke from the Chester Beatty Collections carved in the shape of these twelve zodiac animals. Comparing stories from Japan and Ireland, this exhibition aims to make Japanese objects and culture more relatable to Irish audiences.

Netsuke are tiny sculptures carved from materials such as wood, ivory and metal. In the Edo period (1615–1868), men used netsuke as toggles to secure personal items – money pouches, compartmented boxes (inrō), and writing and smoking accessories – which they hung from their sashes.

The development of netsuke follows the popularity of inrō and smoking thanks to the economic growth and stability enjoyed by townspeople in the 18th and 19th century. Maintaining their functionality, netsuke became fashion statements, and inspired artists' imaginations to express a wide variety of motifs.

Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875–1968) began collecting netsuke as a young man. In the mid-19th century, western countries forcibly opened Japan’s ports to trade, ending its policy of relative self-isolation. After this, westerners, newly exposed to Japanese decorative objects, became attracted to these carvings because of their craftsmanship and variety of subject matter. Today, netsuke are no longer commonly worn in everyday life. However, some contemporary artists based in Japan and overseas create netsuke as an art form in their own right.

Made in the 18th and 19th centuries, the netsuke featured in this exhibition tell the stories of the twelve zodiac animals. They signify not only the twelve-year cycle, but also the time, month, day and compass direction. In the Edo period, the time of the rat indicated around midnight; the first month of the year started with the tiger; the zodiac animals cycled every 12 days; and north, south, east, and west were represented by the rat, horse, hare, and rooster, respectively. Even today, some traditional annual festivals and events are held according to the zodiac calendar.

While originally derived from the ancient Chinese astrological calendar, visitors to the exhibition will learn how these stories were uniquely developed in Japan. They will also be encouraged to explore fascinating and fun facts linking the twelve zodiac animals in Irish folklore and in the world of zoology, through touchscreens. For example, in Japan, the snake, which represents the year of 2025, has been associated with eternal life and power for sometimes being lethally poisonous and able to shed its skin. In Irish folklore, Saint Patrick banished the serpent goddess, Corra, who symbolised rebirth and the transformation of the body to spirit.

3D digital and printed models of each animal netsuke will enable visitors to examine the objects and a short film will show how the Japanese artist, Saitō Bishū (b. 1943), creates contemporary netsuke.

In conjunction with this exhibition, one of the Chester Beatty’s recent acquisitions, Yamaguchi Akira (b. 1969)’s Over-rap (2021), will be displayed in the Arts of the Book gallery alongside the stunning 17th-century handscroll Poetry Contest of Zodiac Animals from which it was inspired.

Zodiac Netsuke: Animals of the Japanese Zodiac in Miniature is at the Chester Beatty, Dublin until March 23rd 2025 - find out more here.