A Lacquer Writing Box (Suzuribako)

TAISHO PERIOD (EARLY 20TH CENTURY), SIGNED ON UNDERSIDE OF INKSTONE SHORYU [SEGAWA SHORYU (ACTIVE EARLY 20TH CENTURY)] AND WITH KAO (CURSIVE MONOGRAM)

细节

A Lacquer Writing Box (Suzuribako)
Taisho period (early 20th century), signed on underside of inkstone Shoryu [Segawa Shoryu (active early 20th century)] and with kao (cursive monogram)
Rectangular with canted edges and designed in black, gold, silver, red, green and brown takamaki-e, gold foil and silver inlays with Kajiwara Kagesue and Sasaki Takatsuna, in the "Race at Uji River" from the Tale of the Heike, decorated on the exterior of the cover with Kagesue on a black horse stopped in the shallows, the river rendered in gold and black togidashi against a roiro-nuri ground, the underside of the cover decorated with Takatsuna on a chestnut horse riding ahead into the river, the interior fitted with a removable tray, rectangular inkstone and a gilt-silver water dropper cast as a war fan set into a silver saucer, two writing brushes, paper knife and paper pricker, interior roiro with sparse hirame, edges fundame, silver rims
10¼ x 9¼ x 2in. (26 x 23.5 x 5.1cm.)
With wood storage box titled on the cover Ujigawa senshin maki-e go-suzuribako (Race at Uji River lacquer writing box) and signed on the underside Heian Shoryu saku and sealed Shoryu

展览

Ishikawa Wajima Urushi Art Museum, Wajima, "Kindai no shitsugei" (Modern lacquer ware), 1997.9.6--11.5

拍品专文

During the Genpei Wars of 1183, Minamoto-clan warriors Kajiwara Kagesue (1162-1200) and Sasaki Takatsuna (dates unknown) competed to see who could be the first to cross the Uji River and lead the Minamoto forces to route the army of Taira warrior Kiso Yoshinaka (1154-1184). Mounted on two of Minamoto no Yoritomo's best horses, Kagesue and Takatsuna took off into the shallows of the river. Takatsuna won the challenge by tricking Kagesue into stopping to tighten his saddle girth. Kagesue is depicted on the box lid struggling to tighten the saddle girth while holding his bow by the bowstring clenched in his teeth.

PUBLISHED:
Ishikawa Wajima Urushi Art Museum, ed., Kindai no shitsugei (Modern lacquer art), exh. cat. (Wajima: Ishikawa Wajima Urushi Art Museum, 1997), no. 47, p. 36.

Shiraishi Masami, Seiko na gijutsu hanayaka na soshoku (Elaborate art and gorgeous adornment), in Kobijutsu Rokusho no. 15 (Kyoto: Mariashobo, 1995), no. 18.