Document Box (Ryōshibako) with Court Carriage and Wild Ginger

Japan

Not on view

This document box is embellished with an ox carriage (Gosho-guruma) that was used by the emperor and empress, and also by aristocrats. Gosho, meaning the Imperial Palace, is an honorific that extended to aristocrats. Court carriages are sometimes also referred to as Genji-guruma, as they were often depicted in paintings associated with the literary classic, The Tale of Genji. The imagery here of the cart and wild ginger refers to the Tale’s ninth chapter, “Leaves of Wild Ginger” (Aoi).

Document Box (Ryōshibako) with Court Carriage and Wild Ginger, Lacquered wood with gold and silver hiramaki‑e, togidashimaki-e, and e-nashiji (“pear-skin picture”), with mother‑of‑pearl inlay on black ground, Japan

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Document Box (Ryōshibako) with Court Carriage and Wild Ginger, Lacquered wood with gold and silver hiramaki‑e, togidashimaki-e, and e-nashiji (“pear-skin picture”), with mother‑of‑pearl inlay on black ground, Japan
Document Box (Ryōshibako) with Court Carriage and Wild Ginger, Lacquered wood with gold and silver hiramaki‑e, togidashimaki-e, and e-nashiji (“pear-skin picture”), with mother‑of‑pearl inlay on black ground, Japan

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