Just wondering if anyone knew a good place in Tokyo to buy Netsuke? I am not interested in spending a huge amount of money, I just want to get a good one as a present for a friend and since I found out there are vaguely cool ones with Skulls and snakes n stuff I kinda fancy one. What with the Harajuku flea market no longer going on I am at a bit of a loss as to where to start looking... Example 1 http://www.buddhamuseum.com/ivory-netsuke/noble-truth-netsuke_87.jpg NSFW Example http://content6.clipmarks.com/blog_....com/img/F179275B-C008-44BE-B14B-5804525ADB6A ! I don't even mind if they are chinese fakes (although I will draw the line at modern ivory - I do have some morals)
I've never shopped for them in Japan itself, but I think the ratio of modern junk netsuke to worthwhile antique ones out there is approximately a trillion to one. Especially if you're on a budget, it's a fool's errand. If you want to see the going rate on real netsuke, try searching on trocadero.com and hold on to your wallet.
Thanks for that link. That Trocadeo site is a great resource. Looks like I can get what I want for around my budget. The one as a gift would be about 30000 yen - I am ideally looking for a "pile of rats" one. And the one for me can just be a piece of junk one as I want to wear a mask one as a necklace - so it is only going to get battered around anyway. Any flea market recommendations for a guy who only really goes to the NHK one on a sunday?
