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Writing box with rooster
Writing box with rooster

Writing box with rooster

Place of OriginJapan
Date1700-1800
MaterialsLacquer and gold on wood and metal
DimensionsH. 1 1/2 in x W. 7 3/4 in x D. 8 1/4 in, H. 3.8 cm x W. 19.7 cm x D. 21 cm
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB60M165.a-.f
DepartmentJapanese Art
ClassificationsDecorative Arts
On View
Not on view
More Information
Writing boxes—containing an inkstone, a water dropper, and brushes—were fully developed by the late Heian period (794–1185). However, it was during the Muromachi period (1392–1573) that writing boxes became objects of great reverence in Japan.

A proud rooster decorates the lid of this box. Inside, a scene extends from the inkstone holder to the brush tray to the inner surface of the cover. Lying on the rocky terrain among maple trees and ivy vines is a monk's carrying case. On the case rests a letter, which alludes to a scene known as “Dark Path through Mount Utsu,” from The Tales of Ise, in which a young man gives a letter to a monk to deliver to a woman he left behind in Kyoto.



Subject
  • rooster