Incense Box (Kōgō) with Cartwheels Submerged in Water

Japan

Not on view

The theme of this small incense box’s design, cartwheels in a stream, reflects the Heian-period (794–1185) practice of soaking the wheels of ox carts in water to prevent them from drying out and cracking. Popular during the Heian period, this pattern is also seen on both mirrors and decorated calligraphy papers used for sutra scrolls. This box was perhaps originally part of a cosmetic set and would have been a container for tooth-blackening material.

Incense Box (Kōgō) with Cartwheels Submerged in Water, Lacquered wood with gold togidashimaki-e and hiramaki-e on nashiji (“pear-skin” ground), Japan

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Incense Box (Kōgō) with Cartwheels Submerged in Water, Lacquered wood with gold togidashimaki-e and hiramaki-e on nashiji (“pear-skin” ground), Japan
Incense Box (Kōgō) with Cartwheels Submerged in Water, Lacquered wood with gold togidashimaki-e and hiramaki-e on nashiji (“pear-skin” ground), Japan

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