"Incense container with design of Mt. Horai in mather-of pearl inlay and maki-e"
7.9 x 6.2 x 3.1 Kamakura period |
"Incense container with design of rabbits in mother-of pearl inlay and maki-e"
7.9 x 6.0 x 3.2 Muromachi period |
"Incense container with design of pawlonia and yatsude in maki-e"
Height: 4.2 Diameter: 7.0 Edo period |
These incense containers are lidded boxes meant to hold different types of incense, such as fragrant wood or pastilles. They were made in a variety of materials - lacquer, plain wood, metal, and ceramic and for a number of specific uses within the tea ceremony. The museum owns twelve incense containers that range in date from the Kamakura to the Edo period and which, as a group, have been designated Important Art Objects. All are small with fitted covers; the rims are reinforced with tin, and designs in maki-e decorated the inside of the lids. The decorations on the top of the containers fall into several categories: compositions of pine or plum trees growing from mounds of earth; scenery featuring cranes and the like, and designs of plovers, butterflies, or rabbits scattered over the surface.
