Suzuribako (box for writing equipment)

Legendary and theatrical references abound in the decoration of the cover of this lacquer box for an inkstone, a water dropper, and writing brushes. The Wisteria Maiden (Fuji Musume), whose silvery facial features have oxidized to bluish black, is a common subject of Otsu-e, a type of folk painting sold in the town of Otsu near Lake Biwa. In nineteenth-century kabuki, the Wisteria Maiden became the focus of a dance expressing unrequited love to the vocal and instrumental music of a nagauta (literally, "long song"). With her is a praying demon, another figure often seen in Otsu-e. The Thunder God rushes down from above, beating his ring of drums as the couple takes shelter from a rainstorm. The ornate pictorial decoration of this box was created by an artist who had mastered maki-e techniques, which employ powders and particles of gold and other material to create intricate designs.