Rooster

An Edo period (19th Cty) 5-case inro in Makie lacquer technique depicting on one side a rooster sitting on a thatched roof and in front of a branch of plum blossoms. The other side, shows two hens, coming out of the house. Signed Kajikawa with pot seal (for more see below). The inro shows some minor signs of wear and comes with a round ojime, but no netsuke was attached.

I discovered this inro in Karuizawa, the traditional Japan resort town a bit more than an hours drive from Tokyo. This inro most likely was sold off from one of the rich Japanese families, holding their summer retreats in Karuizawa. At the time of buying the inro, the shop was visited by a famous Kabuki actor, sitting next to me, who was not buyer but seller of things.

Whilst Karuizawa had its heydays, it is still a nice overnight trip to get a whiff of early 20th century European expatriates spending the time during hot summer in this mountain resort. Famous politicians and actors used to and some still retain their holiday homes and hence, one can discover good antiques. Not only a favorite of the Emperor, John Lennon was a regular guest in Karuizawa with Yoko Ono and son.

This inro was for some years in my own collection.

Kajikawa, the family name of the most famous of dynasties of Japanese lacquer artists. The family is said to be founded by Hikobei in the early 17th century and he and his successors worked for the shogunate well into the 19th century. Like this inro, about 2/3 of Kajikawa inro are signed with the family name only and many bear a pot seal that is often in red and usually reads "ei" or rarely "Jiei".