A SMALL JAPANESE THREE-CASE GOLD LACQUER INRO BY JITOKUSAI

A SMALL JAPANESE THREE-CASE GOLD LACQUER INRO BY JITOKUSAI

EDO OR MEIJI PERIOD, 19TH CENTURY

Decorated in hiramaki-e, gold and silver takamaki-e and kirikane, with a continuous design of a man pulling a boat amongst reeds and other tall grasses, the figure with his face concealed under a wide-brimmed hat and bent forward as he tugs at the rope, a silver moon above, some details of the plants rendered in raden (mother of pearl inlays), signed Jitokusai saku underneath, together with a glass ojime, the inro 6.8cm.

Provenance: an English private collection, Somerset, purchased in Japan.

The design on this inro may be inspired by the print entitled Hikifunegawa (Hikifune River) by Utagawa Hiroshige. Hikifune means 'towboat'. Canals around Edo (Tokyo) were first used for irrigation, and later for transportation of goods and passengers.