Kobako (small box) in Japanese lacquer – “Flowers of the Four Seasons” in gold and silver – Heian Zohiko Kyoto (late Meiji–Taishō, c.1910–1925)

📐 Features

• Japanese name: 小箱 (Kobako) – small decorative box
• Origin: Japan, Kyoto, discovered in Kyoto Prefecture.
• Manufacturer: Heian Zohiko (平安象彦), founded in 1661
• Estimated period: Late Meiji to early Taishō (around 1910–1925)
• Material: Lightweight black urushi lacquer wood roiro-nuri (黒色漆塗)
• Decorative techniques:
  • Hiramaki-e (平蒔絵): flat gold and silver application
  • Gin-nuri (銀塗り): silver outline in lacquer with silver powder
  • Nashiji (梨地): sparkling background in gold and silver powder and flakes
  • Roiro-nuri (黒色漆塗): deep black finish polished with charcoal
  • Takamaki-e (高蒔絵) – slight relief on peonies for a subtle sculpted effect
• Decoration: Shiki sōka-zu (四季草花図) – Flowers and grasses of the four seasons:
  peonies, chrysanthemums, bellflowers (kikyō), autumn grasses and yellow umbelliferous flowers.
• Interior: Silver lacquer (gin-nuri) adorned with a golden stream motif (mizu-e 水絵)
• Signature: Gold seal 象彦 (Zohiko) under the base
• Dimensions: L ~17 cm; W ~ 9.5 cm; H ~5 cm
• Weight: 140g
• Condition:
  • Very good overall condition for its age
  • Some milky veils in places on the black, typical of the natural aging of old roiro-nuri
  • Consistent patina and well-preserved shiny surface

📖 Description

This black urushi lacquer kobako (roiro-nuri) is a signed work from the very prestigious Heian Zohiko (Kyōto) house, datable to the early 20th century, at the transition between the Meiji and Taishō eras.

Its gold and silver maki-e decoration depicts the flowers and grasses of the four seasons — shiki sōka-zu — an emblematic theme of Japanese sensibility. One can recognize silver chrysanthemums, golden peonies, kikyō bellflowers, and elegant autumn grasses swaying in a deep black lacquer space.

The edges are enhanced with a fine silver lacquer (gin-nuri) which highlights the silhouette of the lid, while the interior, in patinated silver, reveals a golden stream motif (mizu-e 水絵) of rare delicacy.

Slightly softened by time, the black lacquer presents in places a natural milky veil characteristic of the aging of old urushi, without altering the beauty of the surface or the refinement of the decoration. This subtle patina is an authentic testament to its age.

A typical work of the Kyōto style of the Taishō era, this box embodies the transition between the decorative opulence of Meiji and the refined elegance of nascent Japanese modernism.

🦝 We love

We particularly love the exceptional technicality of this work and the slight relief of the peonies in takamaki-e, the rendering is sublime! An exceptional piece estimated from the early 20th century!

This lacquer box brings together everything we adore about KOGEDO:

• a piece with a hundred-year history
• a house established in the Edo period and still active
• the pinnacle of Japanese artisanal craftsmanship
• and Kyoto!

👉 Discover this piece alongside other treasures in our Japanese Art & Decoration Objects collection.