Incense Box (Kogo) with Design of Iris and Bridge (Yatsuhashi)
19th century
Medium
Gold-speckled aventurine (nashiji) lacquer with sprinkled and polished design (hiramakie)
Dimensions
H. 1 1/16 in. (2.7 cm); W. 1 1/8 in. (2.9 cm); L. 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm)
Classification
Lacquer
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
36.100.157a, b
Art Historical Context
This exquisite Incense Box (K) with Design of Iris Bridge (Yatsuhashi) exemplifies the refined artistry of Japanese lacquerware during the Edo period. Created by Yamada Jōkasai, a master lacquer artist active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the small container was likely used in the elegant practice of incense appreciation. Its compact form, measuring just over three and a half inches long, highlights the intimate scale of such objects, designed for personal or ceremonial use in refined domestic settings. The box features a celebrated motif drawn from classical Japanese literature,...