What is this small container? This sealed container is called an inro, and the charm at the end is called a Netsuke. These items were worn hanging from the obi (belts) at the sides of both commoners and nobles who wore kimono. Netsuke are hand-carved toggles. They were also family heirlooms passed down from generation to generation and sometimes given as gifts. These charms also acted as forms of expression and status symbols during times when clothing was restricted in what you could wear. In the 1800s, when Japan's borders were opened because of American and European gunboat diplomacy, these are some of the many items that were exported out of the country and sold as mere knick-knacks. Some people came to collect large quantities of these, and one of those collections got donated to the Illinois State Museum.
