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.

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.

Satsuma is the well known long-admired form of Japanese ceramics in which faience (pottery) is covered with a glaze that produces a beautiful network or crackles and is itself ornamented with polychrome enamels and gilt decoration. Satsuma was created by individuals whose great technical skills were combined with gracefulness of form and a careful mixture of compounded hues. Early motifs were simple, elegant and graceful interpretations of nature. Shortly before the end of the Edo period (1850-1868), figures in the forms of processionals, Buddhist disciples and warriors were incorporated into the motifs, as exemplified by this vase depicting samurai on horseback.

The Satsuma wares of Osumi province are bold in appearance. They tend to have a body tint that shades towards buff, with very defined crackles. The enamels employed were bold and brilliant, highlighted and enhanced with gilt.

Gold and silver inlays are a feature found only on tetsubin of superior quality, and fine ornamental tetsubin of this type were preferred by the upper classes for the sencha style tea ceremony. The paulownia leaf and flower, which is one of the most popular of all Japanese family crests (mon), bears a heavy load of legendary and historic significance. As an explicitly imperial mon, the paulownia ranks only slightly behind the chrysanthemum, and both are usually taken as the dual emblems of the Japanese throne. The stylized depiction of the leaves and blossom of the paulownia that adorn this vessel closely resembles the manner in which this tree is portrayed as a design motif and family crest rather than a realistic portrayal of the leaves and flower.

Tetsubin can be classified according to their level of quality, separating those of higher technical quality and more decorative external features – the so-called “ornamental” and “standard” kettles – from those of lower technical quality and less decorated ones – the so-called “rural” and “kitchen” kettles. Ornamental tetsubin like this one are wonderful examples of Japanese ironwork which are very much sought after by collectors today. A similar tetsubin was featured in the “Elegance in Iron” exhibit at the Morikami Museum and is illustrated in Figure 12 of the accompanying catalog.

Hibachi were finely crafted braziers used in old homes and shops to provide heat, warm sake and boil water for tea. Tree trunks were sometimes hollowed out and made into hibachi of various shapes. Craftsmen frequently sought out interesting shapes, often choosing the point just where the tree started spreading out its roots and going into the earth. Burl wood is a phenomenon that occurs in nature, and it is highly prized by connoisseurs. This hibachi’s shape is natural and irregular instead of the more ordinary near-round shape, and it represents consummate skill of the craftsman who created it.

With its beautiful dense grain, keyaki is the most expensive of Japanese woods. It is a sturdy, long-lasting hardwood requiring little maintenance. Pieces crafted from burled keyaki – wood taken from the knotty area near the trunk of the tree that is noted for its handsome, clustered grain that appears wavy or curly – are especially coveted. This wood is now so rare that typically only planed thin sheets of veneer are used instead of solid pieces.