ZANMAI is a modern netsuke carver living and working in the traditional downtown (shitamachi) of Asakusa, Tokyo. Zanmai’s first encounter with netsuke and the world of Japanese miniature art started as a child, when he saw himself surrounded by Japanese traditional objects and art, as his parents were both collectors and dealers of Japanese antiques. There, his passion for netsuke gradually developed until he decided to start carving netsuke on his own. Attracted by the three-dimensional form of expression for an object to be touched and made for daily use, he deeply immersed himself in the world of carving, studying under various teachers. Today he carves netsuke for several hours every day creating the most stunning and marvelous pieces highly praised by collectors all over the world. Zanmai believes that everyone has a netsuke that is predestined for him and takes greatest joy in the pleasure and happiness collectors share with him from his carvings.