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.
Most lacquer workers were able to provide basic designs for their own use. From the 1750s onwards, however, customers increasingly demanded interesting and new inro decoration. Lacquer workers often adapted designs from inexpensive woodblock-printed books that were widely available. Both sides of this inro are based on a double-page spread from the book Ehon oshukubai (Pictures of noted poets, birds and flowers). It was illustrated by Tachibana Morikuni and published in 1740. The design shows an historical incident of 1184 at the Uji river. The heroes Sasaki Takatsuna and Kajiwara Kagesue both wanted to be the first to cross the river and engage the enemy in combat. Takatsuna tricked Kagesue into thinking his horse's girth was loose. Here you can see Kagesue stopping to check his girth straps.