Jisshu-kō box with branches of young pine and plum design in maki-e

The box of ten types of fragrance, said to have been handed down to the Mito Tokugawa family. The box which is brilliantly decorated with gold lacquer work holds all the equipment needed for playing the game, such as incense burners, incense cases, burning trays, fire tools, incense tags, and sachets.

Jisshu-kō box with Hamamatsu-Shioya design in maki-e

Jisshu-kō (ten rounds incense game), which dates from the Muromachi period, is the oldest one. The participants would choose four types from the scent of ten types of fragrant wood, burn them, “listen” to their fragrances, and guess at which variety of wood each was. This box, with a classic motif in use since the Muromachi period, is truly magnificent.

Incense chest with landscape and pavilion design in maki-e

This incense chest has a single door on one end and three drawers inside. A silver handle is attached to the lid, and the drawers each have silver knobs in the shape of plum blossoms. The clasp and hinges are also of silver, with arabesques line engraved on a background of small dots. Exquisite craftsmanship was applied to both the metalwork and maki-e lacquer on this deluxe incense chest.

Incense box with shell and seaweed motif in maki-e

This small rectangular box has a deeply overlapping lid, the shoulders of which have beveled edges. Its fitted tray holds six incense cases. Their lids have motifs that symbolize chapters from the Tale of Genji, including Kiritsubo (The Paulownia Court), Wakamurasaki (Young Lavender), and Momijinoga (Autumn Excursion).

Incense box with peacock and peony motif in maki-e

The peacock resting its feathers on a crag and the peonies blooming around it are gorgeously rendered in raised gold and silver maki-e inlaid with fine fragments of mother of pearl. Pairings of auspicious flora and fauna-paulownia tree and phoenix or pine tree and crane, for example—are known aw zuikin kaboku (auspicious birds and beautiful trees). The peony and peacock combination is a recent addition to the zuiki kaboku group.

Incense box with hollyhock crests in maki-e

This box includes a fitted tray, which holds the tools needed to cut the fragrant woods used in monkō, “listening to fragrances,” into small pieces, including a kōtō (sword-like blade), kōnata (wide-bladed knife), kōnoko (saw), kōzuchi (hammer), kōnomi (chisel), and kōwariban (board for splitting wood for incense). The hollyhock crests scattered on the exterior of the box tell us that it was made for a member of the Tokugawa clan or one of its branch Matsudaira clans.

Black lacquer cage for perfuming clothing

Clothing was placed over the cage and incense burned inside it, to perfume the clothing. Inside this lattice-work cage, built by combining five lattice panels, sits an incense burner designed for this purpose. It has a wisteria and white circle crest in gold flat maki-e on a black lacquer ground and a silver cover.

Incense pillow with crane motif in maki-e

Also known as an aloes-wood pillion, this pillow was used to scent hair while sleeping. It includes a drawer in which an incense burner would be placed. The exterior is in rich nashiji (pearskin) lacquer and has openwork to allow the incense smoke to escape. It is decorated with flying crane motifs in raised gold maki-e and cinnabar. The drawer also has crane motifs, in polished maki-e, on a black lacquer ground.