Document Box (Fubako)

ca. 1920s–30s

Not on view

This semiformal (gyō) lidded document or letter box by Iizuka Rōkansai, dating probably to the 1930s and made of split smoked bamboo (susudake), is notable for its unusual “double” construction: a background or inner layer of twill plaiting topped by an outer layer of irregular plaiting. On the left side of the box, a wide, thin strip of split bamboo is woven into the outer layer. Rōkansai finished the box with lacquer and added a patina, or “dust” (sabi-tsuke), to the background layer to emphasize the plaited patterns.

Artwork Details

飯塚琅玕斎造　文筥
Title: Document Box (Fubako)
Artist: Iizuka Rōkansai (Japanese, 1890–1958)
Period: Shōwa period (1926–89)
Date: ca. 1920s–30s
Culture: Japan
Medium: Smoked timber bamboo, rattan, lacquer, and gold brocaded silk
Dimensions: H. 7 × D. 12 1/2 × W. 10 in. (17.8 × 31.8 × 25.4 cm)
Classification: Bamboo
Credit Line: Gift of Diane Abbey, 2019
Object Number: 2019.425.7a, b
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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