Mid to late Edo period (18th–19th century)
Tangible Cultural Property, designated by Yamagata Prefecture
Donated by the Homma family
This is a splendid document box made for display on the floor or in a study. The lid of the box features a hawk atop a “nashiji” or “pear-skin ground” lacquered surface, where large, irregularly-shaped flakes of gold or silver are scattered over many layers of translucent, orange-tinted lacquer. On the underside of the lid is a pine tree and a phoenix rendered in maki-e lacquer, where gold, silver or other metal powder is sprinkled on and fixed onto the lacquered surface.