Six-part inro box with a glass ojime and an ivory netsuke in the shape of a sumo wrestler

Japanese culture is characterized by a strong feeling for beauty and detail, which is especially reflected in lacquerware for daily use ranging from sets of dishes to small boxes for odds and ends. One type of decorative box is called inrō, “box for a personal seal”. As they were also used for medicines, they are divided into several compartments; our inrō box has six. It is made of lacquered wood and decorated with the popular iris motif. In Japanese culture, the iris is linked with the Festival of Boys, tango no sekku, as it has sword-shaped leaves. In addition to the iris decoration, the lacquered box is adorned with the glass bead ojime. Ojime beads served as fasteners and were made of glass as well as mother-of-pearl, stone, horn, ivory, coral, metal or clay. This inrō box comes with an ivory figure netsuke carved as a sumō wrestler.