Box for Personal Items with a Design of Carriage Wheels in Water

Although this elegant work of lacquer art is labeled as a box for storing cosmetics, it was most likely created for the purpose of holding scrolls inscribed with Buddhist texts. Tebako are cases for storing cosmetics and other small personal items. It is thought this box was originally used for storing sutra scrolls. Several ox-cart wheels are scattered randomly throughout a flowing water pattern that covers the entire outer surface. The design of cart wheels in a stream was derived from the practice of dipping wooden cart wheels in water to prevent them from drying out and cracking.

This box used a technique called maki-e, whereby motifs are drawn in lacquer, with gold powder then sprinkled on top before the lacquer dries. Flattened pieces of mother-of-pearl are also adhered to the surface. All this creates a lively wheels-in-stream pattern. The inner surface also features drawings of birds and plants like pine and plum trees in maki-e. However, these are more spaced out compared to the crowded motifs on the outer surface. The elegant vitality of the patterns on the inner and outer surfaces testify to the refined aesthetic sensibilities of the time.

— Museum description: Tokyo National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.