Japan`s Ivory Ban Could Put Dent In Venerable Art Form

October 29, 1989|By Ronald E. Yates, Chicago Tribune.

WARABI, JAPAN — When Japan announced its decision to join a worldwide ban on ivory trading last week, Bishu Saito was not surprised.

Since the late 18th Century, Saito and his ancestors in this small town 60 miles northwest of Tokyo have engaged in one of Japan`s most exclusive occupations-carving raw ivory into small, intricate ornaments called netsukes that are used to attach pouches to the sashes of traditional kimonos.

And while Japan`s 50 or so netsuke carvers use less than 1 percent of the 106 tons of ivory Japan imported in 1988, Saito and other members of the International Netsuke Carvers Association, of which he is president, nevertheless feel a nagging responsibility for the diminishing herds of African elephants.

``I expected the decision to ban imports of ivory, and I respect the decision,`` said Saito, 46, kneeling at a small wooden table on which several figurines lay. ``All of humanity will miss the African elephants if they no longer exist.

``But I would like to clarify one thing. Netuske makers like myself use such a small amount of ivory-maybe 50 pounds a year. Making netsuke is an art. When I carve a netsuke, I try to express the feeling of the whole universe in a piece of ivory that you can hold in the palm of your hand.``

Japan is the world`s largest consumer of ivory, having imported 40 percent of the African ivory traded in 1988. And it still has more than 103 tons of tusks stockpiled to supply a wide range of ivory-related industries for the next two years.

A bit more than half of all the ivory imported last year went to make

``chops,`` the seals widely used in Asia in lieu of handwritten signatures.

Another 28 percent went for jewelry, 12 percent for traditional Japanese musical instruments such as the koto and shamisen, and 6 percent for decorative statuettes.

Carving netsukes is a demanding task. Six days a week, 12 hours a day for the last 30 years, Saito has knelt in front of a wooden workbench on the tatami-mat floor in his tiny workshop and used his razor-sharp awls and knives to carve a piece of ivory.

Most netsuke carvers turn out two only to three pieces a month. The figurines range in value from $715 to $13,000, with most about $4,000 to $5,000.

``I know we must develop other materials for our art, but the fact is ivory is the best,`` said Saito, slowly turning a figurine in his thin fingers.

``Ivory has a consistency that makes it both hard and soft, and its charm is that it changes color after it is used for a long time. Initially it will be a honey color. Then, after about 200 years, it turns a deep brown color, making it a semieternal substance.``

But while netsuke carvers are a tiny minority in Japan, some 30,000 other Japanese earn their living either from trading or working with ivory.

There are an estimated 26,000 shops in Japan that specialize in making and selling hanko, or chops. The characters representing the person`s name are carved on the chop, then it is inked on a pad and stamped on the paper or document being signed.

While ivory traditionally has been used for the chops, there are few modern artisans who still spend days carving a single ornate chop.

Much of Japan`s hanko industry has automated production.

Nevertheless, Tomio Kobayashi, chairman of the 300-member Yamanashi Seals Union, called the ivory ban a ``serious problem`` and predicted the hanko industry was headed for bad times.

``It`s a life-or-death situation for us, just as it is for the elephants,`` said Kobayashi, who represents the small group of carvers who still use their hands to make hanko.

``When ivory hanko begins disappearing from the shops, it will damage the image of the industry because ivory is simply the best material to use. I feel a certain responsibility for the ivory ban because of the large amount of ivory we used over the years.``

As Japan began to reduce its ivory consumption, in response to international pressure, from the 475 tons it imported in 1983 to the 106 tons last year, the average price of hanko in Japan skyrocketed from about $142 to almost $500 now. Many Japanese began to demand hanko made from other materials.

As Japan, facing international pressure, began to reduce its ivory consumption from 475 tons imported in 1983 to 106 tons last year, the average price of hanko in Japan skyrocketed from about $142 to almost $500 today. Many Japanese began to demand hanko made from other materials.

``We are now looking into the possibility of using water buffalo horns and are working to develop a new synthetic material that is a combination of ceramics and plastics,`` said Kobayashi. ``It`s the only way we can survive.`` Hideomi Tokunage, assistant director of Traffic Japan, the Tokyo branch of the World Wildlife Federation, has little sympathy for Japan`s ivory merchants and artisans.

``The total ban is a lesson for the Japanese people,`` Tokunage said.

``They need to be aware of environmental issues. Had they reduced their consumption of ivory several years ago, perhaps this wouldn`t have happened.

``But even more important, the government needs to contribute more to the preservation of the global environment. Japan is a rich country today and it must behave more responsibly as a member of the international community.``