KORYUEN: Netsuke Organizations

Netsuke Organizations

These organizations provide wonderful opportunities to study netsuke and to make friends with people who share the same interest. Please contact the group of your interest for details about membership and their activities. I will post meeting schedules whenever possible.

| Japan Netsuke Society | International Netsuke Society | International Netsuke Society Regional Chapters | International Netsuke Carvers' Association |

Japan Netsuke Society (Nihon Netsuke Kenkyukai)

Founded in 1975, Japan Netsuke Society is the largest organization of netsuke afficionados in Japan with more than 100 members.

Meetings for fascinating lectures and friendly discussions are held four times a year in Tokyo and other cities in Japan.

The Society publishes the biannual color journal Netsuke no Shizuku that comprises of study articles and meeting reports (it is included in the membership).

To mark the 20th and 30th anniversaries, the Society held exhibitions at Mikimoto Hall in Ginza, Tokyo, and the 40th at Tobacco and Salt Museum, Tokyo, to display members' wonderful collections of netsuke.

President: Mr. AKABANE Katsuhide
Enrollment fee is 10000 yen. Annual membership is 10000 yen, excluding meeting fees.
Please note that the application form, journals, meetings, are all written and conducted in Japanese language. To join, it is required to have recommendation from a current member or to attend a meeting as guest. If you wish to apply, please contact Makiko (please give us your name, address, and phone/fax number):
E-mail: komada@cc.rim.or.jp

International Netsuke Society

This is the world's biggest netsuke organization, which is devoted to the study and collection of netsuke and other related objects. The Society was founded in the United States in 1975, and now it has several hundred members in over 30 countries.

The membership includes very informative, color quarterly magazine called International Netsuke Society Journal, where members contribute study articles and discuss various aspects of netsuke and related art forms.

The Society holds wonderful biennial conventions.

The next convention is scheduled from September 30 to October 5, 2020, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Further information will be available on the Society's website at http://www.netsuke.org/.

Annual membership fee is 125 US dollars.

President: Ms. Marsha Vargas HANDLEY
Address: P.O. Box 223218, Hollywood, FL 33022, USA
Fax: 954-925-4362
Website: http://www.netsuke.org/

Regional Chapters of the International Netsuke Society

The International Netsuke Society mentioned above has local chapters in the US, Japan, and Europe. The chapters organize meetings, where some members give lectures to share their knowledge with other members and have friendly discussions, or sometimes visit some places together to see nice collections of netsuke.

Please contact chairpersons for more information such as membership fees (the full list of chapters is available through the International Netsuke Society's website and the INS Journal).

Japan Chapter

Chairperson: Mr. Robert A. FLEISCHEL
Address: c/o Yabane K.K., Yotsuya 4-28-29-704, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0004, Japan
Tel: 03-3352-6286
Fax: 03-3356-6581
E-mail: netsuke@gol.com

European Chapter

Newsletter image

The membership of the European chapter includes Euronetsuke, the interesting magazine published two times a year.

Newsletter cover, INS European Chapter (c) 2000

International Roving Chapter

San Francisco & Northern California Chapter

Los Angeles Chapter

Seattle & the Pacific Northwest Chapter

Chicago Chapter

Washington DC Chapter

New York Chapter

Australian Chapter (Melbourne)

Moscow (Commonwealth of Independent States) Chapter

Ukraine Chapter

International Netsuke Carvers' Association

The organization, established in 1977, with a membership of about 70 netsuke artists who are professional or aiming to be professional.

Their objectives are to relax the apprenticeship and seniority system that traditionally existed, to break down the custom of keeping carving techniques secret and make them open to fellow artists, and to elevate the status of contemporary netsuke in society.

Their activities include a study meeting held every two months, where members freely and actively exchange information on such things as techniques and materials in carving.

They also support the annual exhibitions held at Seibu Dept. Store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, and at Yokohama Takashimaya Dept. Store. For inquiries, please contact Mr. Kuroiwa at the address below.

President: Mr. KUROIWA Akira
Fax: 03-3394-7602
E-mail: netuke@kfd.biglobe.ne.jp

MESSAGE FROM KORYUEN

This page has been made possible by the persons in charge of the above-mentioned organizations. Thank you!