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.
From the 1700s onwards, many artists signed the inro they made. This example is signed by Shibata Zeshin (1807-91), one of the most renowned and highly skilled lacquerers of the 19th century, who presided over a successful workshop with a large output. This inro depicts an oni (domestic demon) fleeing from a house among a shower of dried beans. On the last day of the year, a rite known as oni yarai (literally demon expelling) is traditionally observed to drive out demons associated with diseases and calamities of the previous year. The ritual involves scattering special beans around the house while chanting oni wa soto fuku wa uchi (literally out with the bad, in with the good). Such an inro would undoubtedly have been worn over the New Year festivities.