Decorated inro with netsuke

Bronze inro, elaborately decorated with scenes in inlaid gold and silver, with square netsuke, signed by a maker, Japanese, before 1919

A macabre graveside scene is depicted on this beautiful box. Skeletons creep, recline and leap among gold gravestones. One brandishes a frog above his head while other amphibians appear around his feet. The box is made of bronze with a gold and silver inlay. It is a small decorative container called an inro. Inro carried items such as medicine boxes or tobacco from the sash of a kimono. A kimono is a traditional Japanese dress. Inro were worn with carved toggles called netsuke. They were objects of status.

The box pulls apart to form three separate receptacles and a lid. A cord runs through two side tubes. Attached to the cord is a small carved bead called an ojime. Ojime were often intricately carved. They were made with precious materials. This example has two tiny interlaced frogs. A frog was reputedly a Chinese symbol of luck and good fortune.