In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the well-dressed gentleman of urban Japan seldom appeared on the street without a carefully considered ensemble of netsuke and sagmono suspended from the sash of his garment. Usually carved figures of ivory, wood, or stag antler, the netsuke functioned as a means of securing the sagemono-- "a dangling object," such as a medicine case, pipeholder, or tobacco pouch--to one's clothing. While individuals at almost every level of Japanse society wore such objects, those that have achieved the status of art today served originally as accessories of the moneyed elite. Netsuke, as fully realized miniature sculptures, and sagemono, which shared with them virtuoso artisanship and a genius for compact design, were often richly decorative displays of a wearers' wealth and taste. That much is surely clear from the works selected for the exhibition at the Morikami Museum, which this catalog accompanies.--Provided by publisher in foreword.