April 2024

Virtual Museum of Celluloid Library Memoir House Yokohama
Iwai Celluloid Collection - new ivory netsuke and statues made by celluloid
Introducing the neo ivory netsuke collection - Series 1
Director: Isao Iwai
<Foreword>
From the latter half of the 19th century to the 20th century, a material with the general namecelluloid (scientific name cellulose nitrate), half of which was derived from natural sources
and the other half created by human hands, widely appeared in the European and American
markets. This has led to the development of new products and substitutes for uses that werepreviously limited to natural products, and commercialization has progressed significantly.
Initially, celluloid was used as clothing accessories such as corsets, buttons, buckles, dental
materials, and play goods such as billiard balls. Later, as it has been generally recognized that
celluloid was an excellent material for dolls, so-called Kewpie-type dolls became popular in
the United States, Germany, and France, welcomed by infants and young people, and then
the toy market expanded. As a result of this trend, many manufacturers in Japan received
orders from overseas through trading companies, and the subcontract processing industry
expanded and prospered.
In the first half of the 20th century, with the rise of the film industry, new uses for celluloid
were found one after another and the industry grew into a large one. In particular, the rise in
the income of the general public and qualitative changes in living standards led to the spreadof cameras, and a boom which led to the general development of the celluloid industry andlaid the foundations for Japan's light industry.
But as the 20th century progressed, the rapid development of petrochemical and plastic
industries gradually invaded the uses of celluloid, then substitutions progressed in high speed
and replaced celluloid to plastic. In today's 21st century, unfortunately there are fewer people

who know about celluloid. But celluloid's excellent material properties, especially its color,
soft texture, and heart-touching appeal, are different from plastic products, and it is still
popular today. There are collectors all over the world, and celluloid products are highly valued
and beloved.
Number of products of celluloid, counted 25,000 at their peak. And the most interestinggroups include greeting cards, buttons and buckles, cosmetic boxes, jewelry boxes, andelegant jewelry boxes, photo frames, luxury travel sets for ladies, Kewpie dolls, various
miniature animals, other decorative arts and crafts, celluloid netsuke (miniature carving
attached to the end of the cord of a wallet, tobacco pouch or a pillbox) and statues are covetedby collectors.
Celluloid Library Memoir House Yokohama has a large number of celluloid netsuke (namednew ivory/neo ivory netsuke) as part of the Iwai Collection that were popularly manufactured
for a time, based on ivory netsuke and statuary items which are much loved by enthusiastic
collectors. Research and investigation of this collection is currently underway, and as for this
1st series, we would like to introduce some of the fine collections that have been inspectedand photographed.
Virtual Museum of Celluloid Library Memoir House Yokohama will spend the next 18 months
completing research on the Iwai Collection and will gradually introduce the collections to thepublic.

Director: Isao Iwai
Research Investigation Team: Isao Sato, Masahiro Yokokawa, Hiroshi Ichikawa
Industrial Researcher: Kazuhiko Matsuo
Technical Researcher: Akira Oi
Virtual Engineer: Shinichi Obayashi<Product introduction>
There are many different types of new ivory/neo-ivory statues in the collection. This time wewill introduce some of the collection.
Photos of Statue of Buddha, statue de Ninomiya Sontoku (a great person, an old model foryoung Japanese people to be industrious. September 4, 1787 ‒ November 17, 1856, he was aJapanese agriculturalist. He lost his parents when he was a boy, but through hard work anddiligence, he rebuilt his fallen family at the age of 20. Later, he rebuilt approximately 600villages), statue of Chinese heroes reminiscent of “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”, statuesof the Seven Lucky Gods derived from Buddhism, folk crafts and souvenirs that imitate thelives of ordinary people, and animals such as the "Three Monkeys" famous for "see no evil,
hear no evil, speak no evil", an elephant, a majestic ivory carving, a lion, a deer, and a sailingship and steamship are attached.
New ivory/neo-ivory statues are made using a variety of techniques that imitate ivory, andsome pieces rival the original quality.
A great deal of effort and enthusiasm must have gone into creating these pieces, and we arestrongly impressed by their efforts.

1.Buddha statue

2. Statue of Ninomiya Sontoku

3. Statues of Chinese heroes

4-1. Seven Lucky Gods (inside thegourd)

4-2. Scenery of Kyoto drawn on the tip of

5. Rickshaw

the gourd

6. Parasol

7. Carrying manure8. Vegetable seller

9. Three monkeys

10. Elephant

11. Lion

12. Deer (on big antlers)

13. Deer

14. Palanquin (Mt. Fuji background)

15. Palanquin (inside the shell)16. Egg (Hakone Owakudani)

17. Sailing ship

18. Sailing ship (Dutch flag)

19. Steamboat

20. Demon mask