A GOOD JAPANESE GOLD LACQUER SUZURIBAKO (WRITING BOX AND COMPONENTS)

A GOOD JAPANESE GOLD LACQUER SUZURIBAKO (WRITING BOX AND COMPONENTS)
MEIJI ERA, 19TH/20TH CENTURY

The lid decorated with a night view of a small fishing boat by Ukimidō Hall at Mangetsuji Temple, with a silver moon emerging from behind wooded hills in the distance, the reverse of the cover with a shrine gate inscribed Sasaki Jinja (Sasaki Shrine) and another pavilion; the interior of the box with inner trays, an ink stone, a silver inscribed mizusashi, two brushes and two knives; all decorated in silver, gold and iroe hiramaki-e, nashiji and kirikane, 4.6cm x 20.5cm x 22.6cm; with an inscribed tomobako (wood box). (17)

The Mangetsu-ji and Sasaki Shrines are both ancient, historically significant landmarks in the Shiga Prefecture near Lake Biwa, with roots dating back to or before the Heian Period in the former Ōmi Province.