Inro with deer and a scholar

Inro with deer and a scholar is held by Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe (Germany). Description supplied by the holding institution: The slightly bulbous, curved inrô made of bamboo is in four parts and features a concealed cord channel.

On one side, two deer under a maple tree decorate the container in carved relief. This presumably alludes to the Kasuga Shrine in the city of Nara, which is famous for its tame deer living in Nara Deer Park. On the other side of the inrô, a courtier or scholar in lavishly decorated robes sits under a cherry tree. »Inrô« are small containers that were used in Japan initially as seal cases and later primarily as medicine cases.

Samurai, wealthy merchants, artists, and craftsmen wore them hanging freely from wide sash belts (= »obi«) due to their pocketless, traditional clothing. They usually consist of several compartments stacked on top of one another and held together by a silk cord. At the end of the cord is a toggle carved predominantly from ivory or wood with two holes for the… The collection record gives measurements height: 7.6 cm, width: 4.7 cm, depth: 1.5 cm.

Published through Europeana; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.