A LACQUER WRITING BOX (SUZURIBAKO)

MEIJI PERIOD (LATE 19TH CENTURY), SEALED ON BASE HOMIN [UEMATSU HOMIN (1845-1902)]

Details

A LACQUER WRITING BOX (SUZURIBAKO)
meiji period (late 19th century), sealed on base homin [uematsu homin (1845-1902)]
Of square shape with angled corners, designed on the lid with the figure of the poet-priest Saigyo reclining against his backpack, his hat on the ground beside him, as cherry petals fall from above, rendered in gold and black togidashi on a roiro ground applied with kimpun, the falling petals inlaid in mother-of-pearl; the underside of the lid inscribed in gold lacquer with a poem by Saigyo related to the falling cherry blossoms on the lid; fitted in the lower interior with a removable utensil tray containing an inkstone lacquered on the sides and base in nashiji, a mizuire of shakudo cast in the form of a cherry floret within a shakudo saucer, two brushes with bamboo shafts and a gilded ink cake; the rims silver and the bevelled upper edges nashiji; in wood storage box inscribed on the underside of the lid by Uematsu Hobi (1872-1933), the son of Homin, "this Saigyo lacquer was made by my late father Homin and the calligrapher of the accompanying poem is Tada Shinai (1839-1905); now it is mounted separately as a hanging scroll", dated cyclically 1925, spring day, signed Hobi and with two seals; the hanging scroll referred to by Hobi, with poem by the Meiji calligrapher Tada Shinai, is stored in a large wood box fitted to hold both pieces; both boxes titled on the covers Hana no fusuma (an excerpt from the poem)
7 7/8 x 6 7/8 x 1½in. (19.8 x 17.7 x 4cm.)

Lot Essay

Published:
Arakawa Hirokazu, Kindai Nihon no shikkogei (Japanese lacquer art of recent times) (Kyoto: Kyoto Shoin, 1985), pl. 53

The poet-monk Saigyo (1118-1190) is shown reclining on the ground in a casual pose beneath falling cherry petals. He wears a monk's traveling gear of a simple black robe, silver-colored underrobe and straw sandals, and he has removed his wide sedge hat and bamboo backpack. The look on his face suggests great contentment. The poem he composed for the occasion is inscribed on the interior of the lid in chirashigaki (scattered writing) style:

Ki no moto ni
tabine o sureba
Yoshinoyama
hana no fusuma o kisuru
harukaze

When I pass a night of my journey
under the trees
on Mount Yoshino
I look forward to a sliding door of blossoms--
the spring breeze

As this image suggests, Saigyo was a free spirit known for his semireclusive life and his deep love of beauty. He often made walking tours to famous scenic spots and pilgrimage centers where he composed poems describing his feelings. He is regarded as one of the three most important poets of the late twelfth century.

Mount Yoshino, south of Nara, where Saigyo withdrew to a small hermitage for fasting and meditation, is noted for the beauty of its thousands of cherry trees. Cherry blossoms were Saigyo's favorite flower and are a frequent subject of his poems.

The lacquer artist Uematsu Homin, active in Tokyo, came from a long line of lacquerers and worked in a conservative, traditional style.