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. This example is unusually wide and short.
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 dragonflies in lacquer, encrusted with glazed pottery.
From the 1700s onwards, many artists signed the inro they made. This example is signed Mochizuki Hanzan. Hanzan (1743-90?) was one of the most talented followers of Ogawa Haritsu (1663-1747), though he was neither a son nor pupil of his. Haritsu was a highly individual and innovative lacquer craftsman whose work is characterised by the inlay of a wide variety of materials, such as glazed pottery. This inro shows that Hanzan had an innovative approach to his work like that of the master he admired.