Writing box with motif of autumn plants

The decorative technique used on this box is called polished-out sprinkled gold (togidashi-makie). The pattern is first applied (as in basic sprinkled-gold technique) and the background then filled with lacquer to the level of the pattern, covering it over. After the entire surface is polished to a smooth finish, the pattern is once more revealed. This box is also decorated with inlaid mother-of-pearl and metal cutouts to form the motif of autumn plants.By comparing this Edo-period writing box with one depicted in the “Yugiri” chapter of a twelfth-century The Tale of Genji scroll, it becomes apparent that the basic shape of this box did not change over the centuries. A typical writing box from both eras would contain a set of implements for calligraphy: inkstone, ink stick, water dropper, and a set of brushes.