TE’BAKO 手箱 (BOX FOR PERSONAL ACCESSORIES) BY YOSHIDA KASHÔ, TAISHO PERIOD (1912-1926)

A lovely te’bako 手箱 (box for personal accessories) by Yoshida Kashô 吉田華正 (b. 1940), of an uncommon long rectangular form with broad, rounded corners. The well-fitted cover, with overhanging sides, is adorned with a striking close-up view of silver rock formations, as wild waves splash against their bases. Stylized Japanese characters, rendered in grass script, add an artistic touch to the design.
The scene is created using hiramaki-e 平蒔絵 (low-relief lacquer design) and takamaki-e 高蒔絵 (high-relief lacquer design) in beautiful shades of silver, gold, and black. The interior of the cover and the box itself are finished in a glossy black lacquer 蝋色漆 (rôiro’urushi).

The underside with an inconspicuous signature.

Yoshida Kashô, born Yoshiaki 利昭 on 15 February 1940 in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, is a renowned lacquer artist. The eldest son of maki-e master Yoshida Eisaku 吉田栄作, he began his apprenticeship in lacquer art at the age of fifteen under the guidance of Nakauchi Teruo 中内輝雄. In 1978, he received the Yomiuri Shimbun prize at the Sōsaku Maki-e Ten exhibition, marking the beginning of a highly successful career. Among his many honours are the NHK President’s Prize (日本放送協会会長賞, 1990) and the Japan Kōgeikai Prize (日本工芸会賞, 1993). In 1998, he was designated as a traditional craftsman by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Complete with original signed and sealed wooden tomobako 供箱 (storage box).

Dimensions:
Height 4 cm, Length 22.8 cm, Width 16.4 cm.

Period: Japan – Taishô period (1912-1926).

The box is in very good condition with a small restoration along the rim. Please refer to the photos for a clear condition reference.