NECK TIES

I KNOW ALL
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This medallion has been made to order from ivory mammoth tusk. It hangs on a silk cord with tips. Height 8,6 cm. 1999. USA, private collection
MASK
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You only know the lesser part of my thoughts. Others are always secret and You’ll never know what is behind the Mask. This medallion was carved from mammoth tusk. It hangs on a silk cord with silk tassels. Height 8,8 cm. 2000. USA, private collection
MOKUMOKUREN
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In Japanese folklore, Mokumokuren is a kind-hearted yōkai who dwells in old paper sliding doors. He doesn’t frighten or disturb — he simply watches, with quiet curiosity, patient presence, and a tender care that only those who’ve lived long beside him can truly feel. His eyes appear through the tears in aged paper, a gentle reminder that the house is alive, breathing, and full of memory. If the paper is replaced, the spirit disappears. But if it is preserved — even as a crumpled fragment — Mokumokuren remains, a guardian of comfort, a witness to life, a silent companion who never breaks the night’s hush. They say that in an old house on the outskirts of Kyoto, where the walls whispered in the wind, there was one sliding door no one dared to replace. Its paper was full of holes, but the owners would say, “Let it be — he watches with kind eyes.” Mokumokuren lived there for many years. He made no sound, caused no harm, asked for nothing. He simply observed. His eyes — like stars in the night — appeared in the tiny gaps, watching children play, a woman writing letters, a man repairing shoes. He became part of the home, its memory. Now Mokumokuren lives not in a door, but in a netsuke-mask. Yet it carries a whole universe of night-bound gazes and gentle remembrance. He did not vanish — he became a spirit who guards silence, watches with kindness, and reminds us: even the past holds life. Torn paper, shaped into form, became the spirit’s skin. And the eyes — his soul. He asks for nothing but respect for what has been. And if you allow him to stay — he will remain. Always. This mask is the embodiment of Mokumokuren, carved from elk antler, with eyes inlaid from bull horn and strands of hair lacquered in black urushi. Its length is 7.3 cm. 2025. Aailable for purchase.
SERPENT SOUL
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Ōmononushi is one of the most ancient and enigmatic deities in Japanese mythology, closely tied to Mount Miwa and the mysteries of transformation, merged forms, and hidden presence. He appears as a great white serpent — and sometimes, a man. In one legend, he visits a woman in human form. His eyes shimmer like moonlight, his skin bears the trace of scales. When she wakes, he is gone — but the child she bears carries the mark of the serpent god. This piece is a tribute to that myth. Carved from fossilized mammoth ivory, it depicts a face fused with the coiled body of a cobra. The features are human, yet scaled; the eyes are inlaid with mother-of-pearl and buffalo horn. A blue lacquer pattern, painted in traditional Urushi, traces the path of transformation — from man to serpent, from mask to amulet, from outer form to inner essence. It is both a netsuke mask — worn on an obi sash or tobacco pouch — and a bolo tie, pairing naturally with denim or leather. A bridge between tradition and modernity. A talisman of duality: man and beast, myth and reality, East and West. Mammoth ivory, Urushi lacquer, mother-of-pearl, buffalo horn Dimensions: 7.2 cm × 4 cm Function: Wearable netsuke mask and bolo tie. 2025. Available for purchase.
SPIRIT OF DRAGON
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This medallion was carved from the ivory mammoth tusk. It hangs on a silk cord with tips. Height is 7.3 cm. 2006. Switzerland, private collection.
VICTORIA
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This medallion was made for a Conqueror. It has been carved from ivory mammoth tusk. It hangs on a silk cord with tips. Height 8,1 cm.2002. USA, private collection.
YUKI-ONNA
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Netsuke double-sided Yuki-onna/Hannya mask was carved from a walrus tusk, mask height 8.8 cm, blue and black Urushi, silver, eyes inlaid with mother of pearl and black buffalo horn. Can be used as a neck tie. 2024. Available for purchase. On a cold winter night, when the snow falls in thick flakes, you can see the silhouette of a beautiful woman woven from snowflakes, like a white silent ghost. Her white hair, like snow swirls, covers her shoulders, and her eyes shine with an icy light, like stars in a cloudless night sky. This is Yuki-onna - the snow woman, a creature that simultaneously attracts and frightens. Her cold beauty fascinates people, but beneath the charm of her beauty lies a mortal danger. Those who met her in the forest described her as a beautiful vision, but their admiration quickly turned to horror as Yuki-onna approached. She could stop a heart with her gaze or freeze a soul with her breath. But at the same time, under the impenetrable mask of cold, sensuality and passion lurked, capable of kindling a flame in the hearts of even the most cold-blooded. Yuki-onna wanders among snowy peaks and icy waterfalls, causing awe, love and death, leaving behind a trail of mysteries and legends that continued to live in the hearts of those who dared to meet her on their way. 氷のように冷たい目をした雪女が触れると、冬が目を覚ます Icy eyes, Touch Yuki-onna, Winter awakens. I am very grateful for the help of Guy de la Rupelle in editing the Japanese translation of the haiku.