Hobby Industry Inside vol.23: Bishojo Figure or Traditional Craft?　Where is the "Bishojo Netsuke" carved by Shinya Nagashima headed?

Netsuke" are accessories made of wood or ivory that were loved by the common people during the Edo period (1603-1868), and even today there are many avid collectors in Japan and abroad. Many of the motifs are classic ones rooted in Edo culture, such as animals and the Seven Gods of Good Fortune. However, many of the works of netsuke artist Shinya Nagashima are beautiful girl characters that look like they could be found in anime or video games. Their plump body lines and dignified faces are of such quality that they could be used as figurines.
Ms. Nagashima is now financially independent as a netsuke artist and takes a break from her work to play games and read manga. How did he come to carve netsuke of beautiful girl characters for a living?　We spoke with her at Gallery Hanakagesho (Nezu, Tokyo), where she holds a solo exhibition once a year.

The process of making wooden sculptures is streamed on Nico Douga!

─ You graduated from the sculpture department of Kyoto University of Art and Design, didn't you?

Nagashima: Yes, since I was a child, I have always preferred making three-dimensional objects out of clay to drawing. I studied ordinary sculpture in university classes, but during breaks I would make things like accessories of my own design on my own. From that time on, I was carving wood, just as I do now.

──Why did you choose wood as your material?

Nagashima: When I was in junior high school, I started making lures. Fishing was my hobby, and when I learned that I could make lures by myself, I picked up a how-to book. I got the tools together and started carving wood, and soon found that it was perfect for me. I have been carving wood ever since.

───How did you first encounter netsuke?

Nagashima: When I was in college, I somehow knew that there was a genre of netsuke. I vaguely thought that I would probably find a job in the accessory or jewelry industry. There is a netsuke museum in Kyoto called the Kiyomune Netsuke Museum, and the museum had a business relationship with this gallery (Gallery Hanakagesho). When someone from Hanakagesho came to Kyoto, I showed them the wood-carved straps I was making, and little by little they started selling them at the gallery. The sales were so good that I was asked if I would like to make netsuke in earnest.

───The accessories you were making at university were also bishojo things?

Nagashima: They were based on the motif of bishojo, or rather girls. They were girl-shaped figurines or wooden objects.


─ Were you always interested in bishojo figures?

Nagashima No, I was not that interested in the human body. I took a plastic arts class at university, and when I tried making my own human body, it was surprisingly interesting. However, it was easier for me to get used to a figure with my ideal cuteness in it than a realistic one. Especially, the face. I was awakened to the fun of sculpting the face of my liking. At the time, I was streaming my modeling process on Nico Nico Douga. It was like "I tried making it. I was interested in the culture of making figures and sharing my creations with the public. Figurines are interesting, and derivative works are also interesting. ......

───Then, were you conscious of the gaze of your fans who watch Nico Douga, and did you settle on a motif of beautiful girls?

Nagashima That's right. At first, I made characters from "Touhou Project. There were already people making them with other materials, so I tried my hand at wood carving, which is my specialty, and they were fairly well received. Since then, I have been making original characters, but I realized that there are not many people carving people in the netsuke world. There is a demand, but not many people are making them. I thought, "If that is the case, maybe I can make a go of it. Of course, I liked carving girl characters, and various factors came together to bring me to where I am today.