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suzuribako@Œ₯” 
KEY WORD :@art history / paintings
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A box designed to hold an inkstone *suzuri Œ₯ and other writing tools, such as an ink stick *sumi –n and ink-stick holder sumibasami –np, water-dropper *suiteki …“H, brush fude •M, small sword tousu “Žq, and awl kiri . Suzuribako were first imported from China and two kinds appear to have been produced in Japan for the first time in around the early 10c. One, a two-tiered box, nijuubako “ρd” , included the inkstone in the center of the upper box flanked by brush holders, small sword, ink and awl. The lower box held a tile inkstone on the left side, and a water-dropper, with a stand for a scroll kansudai ŠͺŽq‘δ on the right. The other type of box was a single-level style including a water-dropper and tile inkstone on the left, and brush racks on the right. These were lacquered wooden boxes decorated with designs of various colors, gold and silver in the *maki-e ŽͺŠG technique and mother-of-pearl inlays *raden —†ην. From around the mid-13c, two new styles of suzuribako emerged: hikka •M‰Λ style with penracks, and kakego ŒœŽq style of nesting boxes. In the hikka style the inkstone and water-dropper are positioned in the center with raised structures for the brushes, small sword, and other utensils arranged on both sides. In the kakego style, the inkstone and water-dropper fit into a separate box which rests in the center and the other tools are arranged in boxes which nest on either side. Later, the inkstone and water-dropper were placed on the left side in a variation of the kakego style. The decoration of lacquer suzuribako reached its zenith of technical precision, poetic nuance and beauty in the 14-16c. Suzuribako became an important item of interior decoration in the guest room *zashiki ΐ•~ of a *shoin ‘‰@ style residence. Quite a few fine examples survive from this period. Since the 17c, classic style suzuribako have continued to be reproduced and, in addition, excellent examples with bold patterns in precious metals and mother-of-pearl inlay were created by Hon'ami Kouetsu –{ˆ’–νŒυ‰x (1558-1637) and the *Rinpa —Τ”h artists. There was also a demand for portable and stacked-box styles from this time.
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NOTES
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(C)2001 Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System.@No reproduction or republication without written permission.
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