Welcome to my website
My name is Ko Baas. I live in the northern part of the Netherlands.
On this site I tell you something about my hobby, which is carving netsuke.
Several years ago I wanted to start collecting netsuke.
I found out that I couldn't afford old ones. And the new ones (Chinees copies) that I could afford I didn't like.
So one day I tried carving them myself.
I carve netsuke since 1997.
I work at my desk in the living room almost every evening, always trying to improve my skills and find new techniques.
Sometimes I use pictures of old netsuke from books as examples.
Or I make a netsuke of my own design in the Japanese style.
At first I just used a whitling knife but I soon found that I needed more tools.
So I bought some small gouges,veiners and V-tools and adapted them for carving small objects.
I also made my own tools from dental instruments.
I try to make the netsuke in the old tradition so that they could be used as functional objects.
The netsuke I make have to be a pleasure to handle.
Also I like to work with different materials like boxwood, stag antler, horn and teeth.
Last update December 15, 2011
