A Japanese Lacquer Incense Box (Kōgō)

Signed By Yamazaki Mushu

A circular box decorated in gold and coloured hiramaki-e with high-relief takamaki-e,

enriched with scattered gold hirame flakes and finely sprinkled kinpun powder. The lid depicts a wild

boar sleeping among autumn grasses beneath a crescent moon inlaid in shimmering mother-of-pearl.

The composition is balanced and serene, the modelling of the boar executed with remarkable delicacy

and depth, and the surrounding foliage articulated in subtle tones of gold and silver.

The sides of the box are finished in a warm gold ground lightly tooled with foliate motifs. The interior

and base are covered in dense gold nashiji of exceptional luminosity, the base signed Mushu in black

lacquer with a small kao.

A beautifully executed work that demonstrates Mushu’s mastery of classical maki-e technique and his

position among the most accomplished lacquer artists working today.

The Boar and the moon iconography carries deep cultural associations. The boar, or inoshishi, is one

of the traditional animals of the zodiac and symbolises courage, straightforwardness and unwavering

resolve. When shown asleep it embodies peace, protection and the idea of safe passage through the

darker months of the year. The crescent moon above, a classical motif in Japanese poetry and Edo

period lacquer, represents renewal and the cyclical rhythm of the seasons. Together, the moon, grasses

and resting boar form an elegantly balanced late autumn scene that would have resonated with courtly

and literary audiences since the Heian period.

Yamazaki Mushu B. 1966. 

Born the eldest son of a lacquerer, Yamazaki Mushū (birth name Atsushi) entered the workshop of Nakamura Shūzō in his late teens, where he received rigorous training in the techniques of Kaga maki-e, the distinctive regional tradition of lacquer decoration cultivated under the Maeda lords of Kaga Province and associated with Maeda Toshitsune (1594 to 1658). In 1990 he adopted the artistic name Mushū, written with the characters meaning “Dream Boat,” a declaration of intent that lacquer would be the vessel through which his imagination could be made tangible. From the outset he has pursued new modes of expression without ever relaxing the exacting standards absorbed in apprenticeship, working with an unusually broad palette that extends beyond gold and silver to include richly coloured lacquers, deployed with a confidence that remains rooted in classical finish and control.

Mushu is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished lacquer artists working today. His work stands firmly in the lineage of the Edo and Meiji masters, drawing particularly on theclarity and elegance of Hara Yoyusai, the naturalism and warmth of Shibata Zeshin and the meticulous finish of the Kajikawa and Koami schools. Mushu is known for an unwavering technical discipline, a purity of line and a poetic sensibility that closely echoes the highest standards of nineteenth century maki-e. His lacquer pieces are held in important private collections and have been acquired by museums in Japan and abroad, reflecting the growing recognition of his artistry on an international level. Collectors and specialists frequently rank him among the finest living miniaturists in the classical tradition, and this piece is a superb demonstration of his craftsmanship and artistic refinement.