403 - A Lacquer Kōbako (Incense Box) with Karuta Card Game Theme A lacquer box for the incense ceremony (kōdō), the interior housing four small compartmentalised boxes, each fitted with its own lid, the interiors lacquered in nashiji. A small aperture in the base of the main box allows the first box to be gently lifted, so that the smaller boxes within may be delicately withdrawn — a customary device for lacquerware of this refined and fragile type.

A Lacquer Kōbako (Incense Box) with Karuta Card Game Theme A lacquer box for the incense ceremony (kōdō), the interior housing four small compartmentalised boxes, each fitted with its own lid, the interiors lacquered in nashiji. A small aperture in the base of the main box allows the first box to be gently lifted, so that the smaller boxes within may be delicately withdrawn — a customary device for lacquerware of this refined and fragile type. The lids are decorated in gold hiramakie against a plain gold ground with a game of karuta cards bearing sansui landscapes, each card rendered with the fine precision typical of Meiji-period lacquer work. The interior throughout is finished in nashiji. The rim of the box is decorated with finely rendered insects on a black ground — a summer motif, suggesting the box was intended for use during that season — alongside the lacquer artist's signature, reading Kikeisai (喜慶齋), with an accompanying seal. Some wear to the lid and old repairs are visible, the interior remaining without fault — evidence that this instrument of the incense ceremony was both actively used and carefully cherished by its successive owners. Meiji era. L: 15.3cm W: 11.8cm H: 5.2cm Shows signs of repair. Wooden box Japan, Meiji era