In Japan, being an aristocrat meant being literate, regardless of gender. This has been true since the 11th century, when Murasaki Shikibu, a noblewoman, wrote the novel The Tale of Genji. Naturally, the elite wanted suzuribako, or writing boxes, which suited their stature and education.

The open box (left, $22,000, early 20th century, 9.8 inches long by 8.3 inches wide) has a shikunshi, or “four gentlemen” theme, in which flowers represent the four seasons and also gentlemanly virtues. The designer of the Mount Fuji box (above, $15,000, circa 1900, 9.4 inches long by 8.3 inches wide) reworked New Year’s Day imagery of cranes flying over water near the mountain: He carved waves inside the box’s lid and forged a silver water-dropper, a tool for mixing ink, in the shape of a crane.

In 2007 Yamazaki Mushu designed and lacquered this crescent-shaped incense box (page 76, $6,500, 3.8 inches long). Erik Thomsen, the Manhattan dealer who offers these three boxes and who represents Mushu outside of Japan, says Mushu’s motifs “are generally traditional, but he likes to put in his own twist.” The innovative twists he gave to this piece are evident in its shape—crescents are rarely used for incense boxes—and the presence of the owl, which, though native to Japan, never decorates its boxes. The purpose of Japanese incense is as unusual as Mushu’s creations and as old as The Tale of Genji, which describes its use in guessing games. “They would ignite tiny pieces of incense, and (the player) had to guess what it was,” Thomsen says. “To participate, you had to know (the aromas of) hundreds of different woods. It was a way for highly literate persons to show their knowledge, kind of like chess.”

Layered Performance

The late Taguchi Yoshikuni prided himself on doing things the hard way. To produce this 10.38-inch tall, 7.5-inch wide ornamental box (right, $42,000, 1964), he painted a coat of black lacquer on one side, waited one to three days for it to dry, and kept doing it until he had accreted an inch-thick, 500-coat layer. Then he cut the diamond shapes into the lacquer, knowing that one errant slice would ruin two years of toil.

“It would have been much easier for him to create a wooden box with that pattern (and then lacquer the wooden diamond forms), but it’s not about what’s easy, it’s about what’s innovative,” says Cline of Kagedo Japanese Art, describing the conditions under which Yoshikuni and his artist colleagues worked in mid-20th century Japan. “To be respected for your attention to detail, you picked the hardest way to show your skill and your technique.” This approach paid off in 1989, when the Japanese government named him a national treasure. (He died in 1998.) The other sides of the box, which he would have painted simultaneously, depict blades of snake grass. He placed this natural motif next to the black diamonds to heighten the box’s overall effect, which Cline says “must have really shocked people. That’s why he became known for being innovative, and that’s why he was designated a national treasure.”

Erik Thomsen, New York
212.288.2588 erikthomsen.com

Flying Cranes, New York
212.223.4600 flyingcranesantiques.com

Kagedo Japanese Art, Seattle
206.476.9077 kagedo.com

Kentshire Galleries, New York
212.673.6644 kentshire.com

Roger Keverne, London
44.20.7434.9100 www.keverne.co.uk