Cleaning an umbrella

[chonchon]

Recently I came across a sweet little Ama Gasa (parapluie) Netsuke in Japan, but it needs a clean. The Netsuke portrays a folded umbrella, and the 'dirt' lies mostly between the slats of what in real life would have been struts supporting waxed paper. As I was about to purge the grooves of dirt it suddenly struck me that it might not be dirt but the remains of original staining. In which case, the logic would dictate, I should not remove any more than it has already lost.

Does anyone have an umbrella Netsuke, and if so, how do your slats look?

[chonchon]

This is the Netsuke.

[chonchon]

Just answered my own question!

With gentle application of a soapy Q-tip ear cleaner, I cleaned away some of the grime. I can see remains of a delimiting line now. There must have been a wide black band around the outside edge of the umbrella. A type of Janome (snake's eye), this one would have had a dark ring around the edge on an overall white background.
https://search.yahoo.co.jp/image/search ... top_ga1_sa

[chonchon]

Interestingly, it was roughly attached to a brass inro with round wooden ojime, neither of any seeming age or value.

1. The string through the Netsuke was rotted so I replaced that.
Instead of trashing the sagemono, I decided to create a piece for wearing with my armour during displays, surely indestructible, but that no-one would cry over if damaged.

2. Children in the crowd always enjoy bright objects, so I strung together the ensemble below. The wood kagamibuta Netsuke has some age to it, but I never liked the design of the manju or of the copper lid fitted into in it. The Ojime is glass and probably made recently in China. The inro is the brass one originally attached to the umbrella above.

Now if the typhoon will just hold off until our display in Tsuyama this Sunday is done!

[souldeep]

Piers... You are an institution to the membership of this forum. I love reading your investigations and experiments even though I don't always offer comment. This is mainly because I have nothing of value to add, sorry.

I hope the weather holds for Sunday.

[chonchon]

Martyn, whatever you say usually has value! Many thanks for the reply.

[jbjtennyo]

Piers, your umbrella netsuke is charming - I love the simplicity of it, and yet I know it must have been tedious to carve! The ojime attached--is it a sort of fan or shell? Very nice. I wish you a beautiful day for your display on Sunday!

[chonchon]

Thank you kindly Judy for your good wishes. The Ojime seems to be in the form of a ginkgo leaf. Actually I had not thought too much about it. Let me check it out once more...