Inro in the shape of a Chinese ink stick with sacred tree
Dateapprox. 1700-1800
MaterialsWood with lacquer
DimensionsH. 9.7 cm x W. 5.0 cm x D. 2.4 cm
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB70Y1544
DepartmentJapanese Art
ClassificationsDecorative Arts
On View
On viewLocationGallery 27
InscribedThis inro is inscribed on the back with the characters “Treasure Tree of the Pure Land.”
More InformationInro and Netsuke
An inro (“seal casket”) is a small tiered container that would be suspended on a silk cord from the sash of a man’s kimono. A netsuke threaded onto this cord served as a toggle, and a movable bead would keep the inro closed. Inro were used to hold not only personal seals— which function in East Asian cultures in much the same way signatures do in the West—but also other small items such as medicines. Many inro are decorated using the Japanese lacquer technique called makie in which fine powder of gold or other metals is sprinkled on wet lacquer to create intricate pictorial motifs.
approx. 1800-1900
Kitamura Shunsho
approx. 1900-1939
approx. 1800-1900
approx. 1800-1900