Sword Case (Katana-tsutsu) with Clematis and Checkered Pattern
Not on view
Decorative—and expensive—lacquer sword cases were made for carrying the most treasured swords of the daimyo (feudal lords) while traveling. Those made for presentation were especially richly embellished. This example has an elaborate design of clematis vines combined with a checkered pattern on its lower section. Associated with summer, the clematis is considered auspicious in Japan for its ability to climb upward on fences. The stylized, flat maki-e decoration of the case follows the Kōdaiji-style lacquers prepared in Kyoto in the Momoyama period (1573–1615) to suit the taste of the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598). Kōdaiji wares and those produced until the 1630s as export furniture for the Western market are strongly connected, as exemplified by the abstract geometric pattern and mother-of-pearl inlay here.
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