Also called guest hibachi, all tabako-bon contained two essential parts: (1) a small receptacle like a miniature hibachi where small bits of charcoal (sumi) were kept burning among ashes for use in lighting tobacco, and (2) a piece of slender bamboo, cut right below a joint, which was used as both an ashtray and a hand-held cuspidor. Some boxes also had little drawers built in for keeping tobacco and pipes. Tobacco boxes reached their peak use in the Edo period, when smoking was widespread among both men and women and etiquette demanded that tobacco be offered to visitors or friends. Custom demanded that whenever a visitor arrived, the first act of welcome would be to set a small personal hibachi in front of him. This was also true of commercial shops. The strong kizami tobacco was smoked only in small amounts in slender pipes with tiny pipe bowls (kiseru). Production of smoker’s hibachi ceased at the end of the 19th century, when cigarettes became fashionable and virtually replaced pipe smoking. Finished on the top and all four sides, this finely-crafted old box makes a charming interior accessory which views well from any angle. It is suitable for burning incense, holding a flower arrangement or adorning a coffee table or sideboard. It also may be used for its traditional purpose.

These ingenious mechanical toys take their name from the port of Kobe, where the main period of production lasted from1870 to the 1920’s. These small wooden automata were simply hand-carved and the colors subdued. Most parts are mobile, and heads, arms and sometimes mouths are actioned by an intricate system of wheels, pulleys and strings which are activated by a knob. The intricacy of the internal workings is truly amazing. There is no attempt at aesthetic effect – movement is the primary purpose – and usually these toys simply consist of one or more torsos on top of a small box in which the mechanism is concealed. All Kobe toys have some movable parts (eyes, tongues, heads, etc.), and they always portray a Negroid human figure. For the most part, these works were sold as souvenirs along the docks of the port of Kobe during the Meiji period, and the majority of purchasers were sailors and Western tourists.

In 1981 there was an exhibition held in Kobe city which displayed antique Kobe dolls as a part of the history of Kobe. At the same time, newly produced Kobe toys were sold at the exhibit as unique souvenirs of the city, just as they had been in Meiji times. These newly made Kobe toys were fashioned after their older ancestors. They still exhibit the flavor and charm of older Kobe toys and are highly collectible as well.

Hirado wares are considered to be among the finest porcelains ever made in Japan, and they are highly prized among today’s collectors. Hirado was produced at Mikawachi near Arita, and for much of its history was made under the patronage of the lords of Hirado. Aristocratic patronage ended in the 1830’s with the commercialization of the kilns; however, the quality of Hirado remained very high. Hirado ware consists of a very pure, fine-grained and high-quality white porcelain, usually decorated in underglaze cobalt blue. It is characterized by highly refined white clay that would be fired to high temperatures, and the glaze was lustrous and void of any kind of granulation.

The lotus (“hasu”) is a water flower that rises above large fan-shaped leaves, growing in still, shallow bodies of fresh water and mud. Buddhist traditions hold that the lotus is a sacred flower. In secular Chinese art, the lotus has many auspicious meanings, variously symbolizing harmony, love, sympathy and prosperity.

Nuri guri is the technique of laying down and alternating dozens of layers of red and black lacquer and then carving through the layers in intricate geometric or curved patterns borrowed from the Chinese. The deep cuts are made at an angle so that the various layers of colored lacquer are revealed. It is a time consuming and painstaking process.

Incense (“ko”) was introduced into Japan along with Buddhism around the sixth century, and it has remained a part of religious ceremonies ever since. Incense also played an important role in the tea ceremony. After cleaning the rooms before the guests arrive, incense was used to purify the space spiritually and help separate it from secular space. The incense was kept in small containers and conveyed with chopsticks into the fire in the brazier. The uncluttered beauty of nuri guri incense containers was favored by the Japanese for use with the tea ceremony ritual.

The term “kimekomi” means to “tuck in” in Japanese. Silk brocade or crepe fabric was glued and tucked into grooves of the doll body made of wood or pulverized paulownia (kiri wood) mixed with jute fiber and glue. This method was first used with the clothes of wooden Kamo dolls.