HEISENSAI: A FOUR-CASE ‘TIGER AND DRAGON’ GOLD LACQUER INRO
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)
HEISENSAI: A FOUR-CASE ‘TIGER AND DRAGON’ GOLD LACQUER INRO By Heisensai, signed Heisensai平川斎 Japan, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912) The four-case inro of upright rectangular form with rounded corners and oval section, bearing a lustrous kinji ground finely decorated in gold, silver, red, and black takamaki-e with details in nashiji-e.
One side depicts a powerful tiger standing on rocky ground, its eyes inlaid in glass, while the reverse shows a dragon emerging from swirling clouds above crashing waves, its claws extended and flames issuing from its body. The interiors are lacquered in nashiji with gold fundame rims. Signed underneath in gold HEISENSAI. With a fruit nut ojime carved with deer and an immortal beside a maple tree, together with an antler netsuke of a shishi coiled around a large ball and holding a loose tama in its mouth.
According to Lazarnick, the two were closely connected. The dragon and tiger form a classic pairing in East Asian art, embodying the opposing yet complementary forces of yang and yin. The celestial dragon represents strength and the heavens, while the terrestrial tiger signifies courage and the earthly realm.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Material (listing wording)
- lustrous kinji ground finely decorated in gold, silver, red, and black takamaki-e with details in nashiji-e
- Dimensions or weight (listing wording)
- HEIGHT 8.7 cm, LENGTH 5.6 cm
Identification
- Source note
- Auction-house description published on Invaluable. Attribution and measurements are the auction house’s statements about the photographed example; independent type authentication remains research required.
- Listing object ID
- 205635858
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Independent confirmation of type attribution and auction-house statements remains research required.