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.

Surrounding the crest and filling each of the corners are a flying crane (“tsuru”), a long-tailed tortoise (“kame” or “minogame”) and “shochikubai” (pine, plum and bamboo). “Sho” represents the pine tree for longevity, “chiku” represents the bamboo for tenacity, and “bai” represents the plum tree with its blossoms for beauty. The crane is one of the luckiest and happiest symbols in Japanese animal lore, and it is most closely associated with the New Year and with marriage ceremonies. The tortoise is believed to live to an exceptional age, at which time it develops a flowing white tail. In the Japanese art design known as "tsuru to kame,” the tortoise is teamed with the crane, also a symbol of longevity, and the two animals frequently appear with pines, plums and bamboo, just as they do on this wonderful textile.

This futon cover is made of four panels of coarse hand spun woven cotton that have been hand sewn together to make a large rectangle. This is the only way authentic old futon covers were made in Meiji Japan because loom widths were narrow, typically 12 to 14 inches. The assembled futon cloth was then dyed using a rice paste resist and all natural dyes for the colors. Indigo textiles were the fabric of the countryside in Japan, and they are wonderful examples of Japanese folk art or mingei.

The “tsutsugaki” technique involves freely drawn designs that are applied to cotton with paste resist squeezed through a paper cone having a tubular metal tip. The textile is then dipped repeatedly in indigo dyes. Where the paste lines had once been, white lines now remain, outlining the design in sharp contrast to the deep indigo blue background. Country dyers produced tsutsugaki textiles -- often with mythical and auspicious designs -- as bedding, wrapping clothes, banners and celebratory textiles for weddings, births and other important events. These tsutsugaki textiles were part of a bride’s trousseau which parents prepared for their daughter as a prayer for the well being of her new family as well as her happiness, so great care was taken in their handling as they were regarded as necessary for an auspicious future.

CONDITION is excellent and near perfect. The futon cover has been washed and used, but there are no holes, tears, repairs or other problems. There are one or two very tiny brown spots here and there, but you have to look hard to see them. This Japanese folk textile has it all: the larger size, varying shades of indigo dyes, a family crest, numerous auspicious symbols, and great condition.

Kamakura-bori is a type of Japanese lacquer ware which consists of carved wood decorated with layers of black and red lacquer which are often rubbed down and polished to achieve a mottled effect so the red lacquer shows through in certain places on the carving. It is said to have originated during the Kamakura period and was based on Chinese models. Of the various types of provincial lacquer wares, kamakura-bori is one of the most outstanding. From the beginning of the Meiji period, it was produced in great quantities, not only just in Kamakura proper. Its uncluttered beauty was much favored for eating and writing utensils as well as implements used in the tea ceremony. Because of the Japanese preference for “sabi” and “shibui,” the very simplicity and unaffectedness of kamakura-bori lacquer work makes it a special favorite among connoisseurs.

This particular cosmetic box, part of the teeth-blackening kit, was used to hold “fushi-no-ko,” a powdered vegetable tannin used to dye teeth. Teeth blackening is probably the oldest type of Japanese make up, and it became an important social custom among women, intertwined with coming-of-age ceremonies or marriage. Many different types of cosmetic boxes were part of the elaborate bridal furnishings the Edo period daimyo bride brought to her new home to reflect the power and prestige of the daimyo or samurai family. Often made up of more than fifty pieces in all, complete cosmetic sets were commissioned for the trousseaux of high-born brides. (For similar examples of lacquer cosmetic boxes, see “Traditional Cosmetic Utensils” in DARUMA 25.)

This type of bulbous bronze flower vase was used by the Ikenobo school, the oldest school of Japanese flower arrangement (ikebana). Kyoto was the birthplace both of ikebana and of the bronze flower vessel, and scrolls dating from the second half of the 17th century show the first examples of this most characteristic of Japanese bronze forms, the so-called futabana (two-flower) vase. By 1698, the futabana seems to have become one of the most popular ikebana vase forms, with handles that predominantly included dragons, shishi, butterflies and hares. With the emergence of flower arrangement and the tea ceremony as distinctively Japanese cultural pursuits, bronze casters began to develop new and innovative forms of vessels loosely based on Chinese originals but with an unmistakable Japanese elegance. These culminated in large bronze vases cast in exaggerated form for the classic, formal rikka style of flower arrangement, prevalent in the 17th century and early 18th centuries. With the re-opening of overseas contacts from the 1850’s, traditional styles were combined with the skills of the metal craftsmen and sword smiths in the manufacture of these magnificent showpieces, many of which were displayed at exhibitions in Europe and the United States. (See similar examples illustrated and discussed in the sumptuous book entitled FLOWER BRONZES OF JAPAN by Joe Earle.)