MEIJI PERIOD (LATE 19TH CENTURY)

Both finely decorated in gold, silver and green hiramaki-e, takamaki-e, togidashi, gold and silver kirikane, and sparse mura-nashiji against a roiro ground with kimpun, depicting a landscape of blossoming cherry trees and pine beside a shore edged with rocks, irises and threeleaf arrowheads (omodaka); the bunko with a cascading waterfall and willow trees, some of the waves stylised with seigaiha, the interior of the bunko with a further scene of coastal pine with boats drifting in the sea and sails to the distance, various shells amidst the waves; the interior of the cover of the suzuribako with a Torii gate leading to a shrine in the hills surrounded by trees, salt-gatherer's huts on the shoreline with rising smoke in togidashi, the sky in rich nashiji, the interior of the base with two further pines by the shore, fitted with a slate inkstone and silver and shakudo water dropper in the form of two overlapping poem papers (shikishi), inlaid in gold with a poem and plovers (chidori) in flight, both with nashiji interiors, fundame rims
42 x 34 x 14.5 cm. (16¹⁄₂ x 13³⁄₈ x 5³⁄₄ in.) (the bunko)
26 x 23 x 4.6 cm. (10³⁄₄ x 9¹⁄₈ x 1⁷⁄₈ in.) (the suzuribako)