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 theinro 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.
Many inro were made of lacquer because it was highly suitable for storing medicines. Lacquer is the sap from the tree Rhus verniciflua that grows mainly in East Asia. The sap was processed, and the lacquer worker would then apply it in many thin layers to the base material. The finest examples of Japanese lacquer work are in the makie (sprinkled picture) technique. The main types can be identified by how far the decoration is raised above the ground. The designs on this inro are mostly completely flat. This technique is known as togidashie (brought out by polishing). By contrast, the maker has used the takamakie (high sprinkled picture) technique for the trunk of the maple tree to give a markedly raised surface. This not only makes the tree trunk more realistic, but also makes the design more varied and imaginative.