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.
From the 1750s onwards, customers increasingly demanded new and imaginative inro decoration. Some new designs were rather crude. However, makers still produced more subtle examples, such as this one. Here the maker has combined skilful design with superb technique. He has transformed an everyday subject of a horse under a flowering cherry tree into a beautiful and fashionable inro. This example must have been made for a cultivated customer with good taste.