Chinese forgers, after fooling art collectors worldwide by faking their own country s artifacts, are now trying to break into Japan s hermetic but very lucrative market, a leading expert has warned. Netsuke - miniature sculptures made of ivory, boxwood or animal horn that Japanese men have traditionally worn to decorate their kimono belts - have become the latest target of counterfeit artists in Hong Kong and China. Forged netsuke have not only invaded popular online trading sites like eBay but also appeared in some of the world s most prestigious auction houses, said Robert Fleischel, an internationally known expert on netsuke. I remember an art catalogue that had a photo of a fake netsuke on its cover, said Fleischel, who has worked for four decades in Japan and owns a Tokyo gallery exclusively dedicated to the decorative objects. In a book on netsuke published in the United States in 2007, only two or three were authentic, he said. All the others were fakes. The collection of netsuke at the Museum of Orleans in France is practically made up of fakes. While Chinese forgers have proven skillful in reproducing netsuke in the form of animals or objects, they still lack the craftsmanship to properly recreate ones bearing Japanese faces, the netsuke connoisseur said. They can imitate the patina of a 19th or 20th century ivory netsuke, but not those that are dated older, he added. Fleischel distinguishes mediocre copies from high-quality fakes that are crafted by skilled artisans, notably ones based in Germany, who work with the aim of deceiving top-level clients. It is these fakes, pegged at high prices, that we find at auction sales, Fleischel said. The expert, who has authored a number of books on netsuke, said he takes care to avoid publishing three-dimensional photos of the objects in order to prevent forgers from easily crafting counterfeits. They order my catalogues from Hong Kong and China. One month later, the same netsuke are auctioned on eBay, he said. Popular internet sites features pages of purportedly ancient netsuke offered from China or Hong Kong at rock-bottom prices, when a bid for an authentic item starts at no less than several hundred dollars. Other handicrafts, such as sword hilts known as tsuba, sought after by Japanese art lovers, have also been targeted by Chinese forgers. Website eBay, Fleischel said, is not dangerous ground for connoisseurs, but it is for art novices, who risk building up a collection of fakes that may one day resurface in antiquaries or at auction sales. Netsuke emerged more than 300 years ago, around the same time as sagemono - which means carried objects and include lacquered objects encrusted with precious metals - that are also worn at the waist. As kimonos lack pockets, men hooked their tobacco pouches, pipes, wallets, calligraphy sets and inro medicine boxes onto their obi belts with a cord. A netsuke tied at the end prevented them from slipping off. Fleischel s gallery is the only store in Japan that specializes in netsuke and sagemono, and he counts a member of the imperial family among his clientele. Today there are more quality netsuke overseas than in Japan, and there are also less antique shops than 20 years ago, said the expert, who began his career in Japan in 1968 by giving French language courses in western Osaka. But the Frenchman said that the tradition of netsuke and sagemono is far from disappearing in Japan, where today cell phones are often decorated with various pendants and bangles, from jewelry to modern cartoon figures. It s the same idea, Fleischel said. The tradition endures.
