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.)

The “aoi” (hollyhock) mon was the family crest of one of the greatest family bloodlines in Japanese history – the Tokugawa, who ruled the land for two and a half centuries. The “ume” (plum blossom) mon is a design that was particularly fashionable in the early Heian period, when it was displayed on clothing, furnishings and especially on the backs of mirrors. In some of its versions, such as the mon on this box, the plum blossom design tended to become virtually indistinguishable from the depiction of six circular stars. Many families adopted the plum blossom as their family crest to commemorate a lineage tracing back to Sugawara Michizane, a late-ninth century courtier posthumously deified as Tenjin, patron god of poetry, calligraphy and scholarship. Condition is excellent. Dimensions: 3” cube.