Ming Dynasty (16 -17C), China
Gift from the Homma family
The lid depicts the pot-bellied figure of Hotei, the god of fortune, holding a paper fan in his right hand and carrying a sack on his back. The full curves and rounded shapes express peace and harmony. Kōki Homma, the fifth-generation head of the Homma family, received this item from Tadaaki Sakai, lord of the Shonai domain, on October 22, 1864. The box is marked with the Sakai family’s warehouse number, “40.”