Five-tiered box decorated with the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets

Stacked food boxes (jūbako) stored delicacies prepared for celebratory occasions, picnics, and outings. This example has been meticulously engraved with images of Japan's Thirty-six Immortal Poets (Sanjurokkasen) and then inlayed with gold. The technique, known as kinma, was introduced by the lacquer artist Tamakiji Zokoku (1805-1869), a lacquer artist in the service of Lord Matsudaira on the island of Shikoku. Tamakiji adopted the technique from lacquer containers imported from Thailand and Burma. In examples from Southeast Asia, the engraved lines were typically inlaid with red, yellow, or blue colored lacquer, but in this variation the Japanese artist has used gold.