Overview

This item is a typical inkstone box from the Muromachi Period. Its shape is square with round edges, and a lid is attached. On the lid, there is a design of pine trees along a shore, a palace, and the moon. The design on the inside of the lid consists of the Sumiyoshi Shrine and an arch-shaped bridge, with a view of Awaji-shima island in the distance. Pine trees and a “shiogama” (oven to extract salt from sea water) are arranged in the foreground. The Japanese kana letters for “Sumiyoshi”, “pine tree”, “year”, and “cry” are written in the background, which indicate that a poem about the Sumiyoshi Shrine, which was taken from the anthology “Jusan-i Yorimasakyo-shu” is the subject of this design. Using poetry as a design motif was one of the characteristics of Maki'e lacquered works in the Middle Ages. The Maki'e lacquered technique of this box indicates that it was made at a time when the technique had reached the highest level of sophistication.