Until recently, I never realized that Japan has a history of miniature art. Netsuke 根付, for example, was imported from China and appeared in Japan around the 17th century. Residents use these small toggles to fasten containers hung from obi 帯, a sash on traditional garments such as kimono. Carved by hand from wood or ceramics, these miniature pieces highlight several symbols important to Japanese culture and are detailed and beautiful.

These days, its seems miniature art has grown beyond netsuke. For example, take artist Kiyomi, who crafts miniature antique items by hand, or artist Tatsuya Tanaka, who creates everyday scenes on a micro scale. Both create tiny worlds come to life.

“2 AM”

Recently, we couldn’t help but notice recent posts by Nekomata (@nekomata14_) have gained quite a lot of traction on Twitter. The artist announced her latest piece, "2 AM," saying:

As you can see, the piece is very tiny, about the size of a ring. With a lunar and starry motif, it's night time implications surely fit its name. Regardless, "2 AM" has a lot of detail for something so small. Just check out the attention put into the desktop area.

Followers of the artist were impressed by the moonlight-themed miniature room. They gushed on social media:

Indeed, Nekomata's thematic piece is striking.

If you like "2 AM," you can find more miniature art by Nekomata on her Twitter page. The artist also runs a blog that you can find here. Enjoy!