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Why did netsuke become obsolete after the Tokugawa regime ended?

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Inupiat shaman's figure. — ivory carving Kinugumiut Inupiat incised walrus ivory shaman's figure, c. 1890; in the National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, Smithsonian Institution, New York City.

Netsuke became obsolete following the end of the Tokugawa regime primarily due to significant shifts in Japanese society and culture. As Japan moved away from its period of national seclusion and modernized, the adoption of new customs of dress replaced the traditional kimono, which had previously required the use of an obi (sash) to secure items like medicine boxes, pipes, or tobacco pouches.12

The utility of the netsuke was further diminished by the introduction of the cigarette, which reduced the need for the traditional tobacco pouches that netsuke were designed to hold. While the end of the Tokugawa era marked the decline of netsuke as an indispensable item of daily dress, some continued to be produced to satisfy the demand of foreign residents and tourists.12