Inro
ca. 1775-1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The inro is a container made up of tiers. Japanese men used them because the traditional Japanese garment, the kimono, had no pockets. From the late 1500s onwards, Japanese men wore the inro suspended from their sash by a silk cord and a netsuke (toggle). They originally used it to hold their seal and ink or a supply of medicines. However, it rapidly became a costly fashion accessory of little or no practical use. Most inro are rectangular with gently curving sides.
Lacquer was most commonly used in the manufacture of inro since it was highly suitable for storing medicines. Lacquer is the sap from the tree Rhus verniciflua that grows mainly in East Asia. After processing, it is applied in many thin layers to a base material. The craft of lacquering, as well as making inro bodies, is highly complex, time-consuming and expensive. This example is decorated with a basket of flowers on a cart in takamakie (‘high sprinkled picture’) lacquer inlaid with tortoiseshell and shell. Makie is the most characteristic of Japanese lacquer techniques. It is a generic term for a number of related techniques. They all make use of gold, silver or coloured powders that are sprinkled on to wet lacquer before it hardens.
From the 1700s onwards, many artists signed the inro they made. This example is signed Jokasai. The Yamada family, which was founded by Joka during the seventeenth century, was one of the great lacquer dynasties. Each subsequent head of the family used the name Joka or Jokasai. As a result, it is very difficult to distinguish between the work of individual artists.
Lacquer was most commonly used in the manufacture of inro since it was highly suitable for storing medicines. Lacquer is the sap from the tree Rhus verniciflua that grows mainly in East Asia. After processing, it is applied in many thin layers to a base material. The craft of lacquering, as well as making inro bodies, is highly complex, time-consuming and expensive. This example is decorated with a basket of flowers on a cart in takamakie (‘high sprinkled picture’) lacquer inlaid with tortoiseshell and shell. Makie is the most characteristic of Japanese lacquer techniques. It is a generic term for a number of related techniques. They all make use of gold, silver or coloured powders that are sprinkled on to wet lacquer before it hardens.
From the 1700s onwards, many artists signed the inro they made. This example is signed Jokasai. The Yamada family, which was founded by Joka during the seventeenth century, was one of the great lacquer dynasties. Each subsequent head of the family used the name Joka or Jokasai. As a result, it is very difficult to distinguish between the work of individual artists.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Black, gold, red and silver lacquer inlaid with shell and tortoiseshell |
| Brief description | Inro depicting a basket of flowers on a cart in black, gold, red and silver lacquer, inlaid with pearl-shell and tortoiseshell, signed Jokasai, ca. 1775-1850 |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Pfungst Gift |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | The inro is a container made up of tiers. Japanese men used them because the traditional Japanese garment, the kimono, had no pockets. From the late 1500s onwards, Japanese men wore the inro suspended from their sash by a silk cord and a netsuke (toggle). They originally used it to hold their seal and ink or a supply of medicines. However, it rapidly became a costly fashion accessory of little or no practical use. Most inro are rectangular with gently curving sides. Lacquer was most commonly used in the manufacture of inro since it was highly suitable for storing medicines. Lacquer is the sap from the tree Rhus verniciflua that grows mainly in East Asia. After processing, it is applied in many thin layers to a base material. The craft of lacquering, as well as making inro bodies, is highly complex, time-consuming and expensive. This example is decorated with a basket of flowers on a cart in takamakie (‘high sprinkled picture’) lacquer inlaid with tortoiseshell and shell. Makie is the most characteristic of Japanese lacquer techniques. It is a generic term for a number of related techniques. They all make use of gold, silver or coloured powders that are sprinkled on to wet lacquer before it hardens. From the 1700s onwards, many artists signed the inro they made. This example is signed Jokasai. The Yamada family, which was founded by Joka during the seventeenth century, was one of the great lacquer dynasties. Each subsequent head of the family used the name Joka or Jokasai. As a result, it is very difficult to distinguish between the work of individual artists. |
| Associated objects | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.226:1-1922 |
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| Record created | January 12, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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