A gold-lacquer presentation tebako (box for personal accessories) with senior imperial provenance

Meiji era (1868-1912), 1910

Exhibiting the pinnacle of Meiji-era lacquerwork, this tebako (box for personal items) features the era's signature rounded contours, silver-bound rims, and a flush-fitting inrōbuta lid. The exterior is transformed into a luminous landscape of dense, polished gold kinpun, providing a brilliant ground for cascading tessen (clematis) vines. Executed in a sophisticated relief of takamaki-e, hiramaki-e, and iridescent shell inlay, the floral composition reflects the elegant style of master lacquerer Akatsuka Jitoku. Crowning the lid is the 16-petal kikumon (Imperial chrysanthemum crest), while the interior reveals a sumptuous "pear-skin" nashiji gold flake finish. The accompanying original storage box provides a rare historical record: an inscription by Nagasaki Shōgo dating the piece to May 25, 1910, and documenting it as a personal gift bestowed by the Emperor and Empress upon Prince Kitashirakawa Naruhisa in recognition of his distinguished service.

This box is stored in a clear-lacquered wood storage box bearing two paper labels:

Outside:  Meiji yonjūsannen gogatsu nijūgonichi gomontsuke tessenren maki-e tebako ikko 

Translation: One Box for Personal Items with Lacquer Design of Clematis and an Imperial Crest, May 25, 1910 

Inside: Meiji yonjūsannen gogatsu nijūgonichi Kitashirakawa-no-miya goyōkakari zaishokuchū no kinrō ni yori ryōheika yori kashi Shōgo shi 

Translation: A Gift Bestowed by Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress Upon Prince Kitashirakawa [Naruhisa] in Recognition of Diligent Service Rendered, Recorded by [Nagasaki] Shōgo, May 25, 1910)

Akatsuka Jitoku

Although unsigned, this lot was very likely made in the atelier of Akatsuka Jitoku (1871-1936), well-known for elegant and luxurious Imperially commissioned presentation boxes that he often left unsigned for reasons of Court etiquette. At the time of this gift a Colonel in the Japanese Imperial Army, Prince Kitashirakawa Naruhisa (1887-1923) was the son-in-law of the Meiji Emperor and Concubine Sono Sachiko. He later visited Paris to study military tactics but was killed in an automobile accident in 1923; his widow and son were both seriously injured but the Princess lived until 1974, serving as Custodian and Chief Priestess of the Ise Shrine after World War II. In 1910, Nagasaki Shōgo (1852-1937), a widely travelled high-ranking court official and diplomat, was Secretary to the Imperial Household Minister.