Inrō
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1800-1875
This Japanese inrō is a tiered container executed in the Somada style, featuring horizontal bands of intricate diapered and geometric ornament. Each contrasting pattern corresponds to one horizontal section of the object. The surface is composed of roiro (highly polished black lacquer) embellished with delicate inlays of iridescent pearl-shell and gold foil, combined with red, gold, and silver hiramaki-e (low relief maki-e lacquer).
Measuring 9.2 cm in height, 5.8 cm in width, and 2.0 cm in depth, the piece was produced in Japan by an unknown maker between 1800 and 1875 during the late Edo period. It is threaded with a cord running down the sides and tied in a knot at the base.
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.
Historical context
Traditional Japanese garments such as the kimono lacked pockets, leading men from the late 1500s onward to wear an inrō suspended from the sash by a silk cord and netsuke toggle. Originally used to store seals, ink, or medicine, inrō later functioned as fashionable accessories. The Somada inlay technique traces its origins to the Kyoto artisan Somada Kiyosuke (1633–1700), who adapted Chinese inlay methods introduced through Nagasaki before entering the service of the Toyama branch of the Maeda clan in 1678.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Roiro (highly polished black lacquer), inlaid with pearl-shell and gold foil, with red, gold and silver hiramaki-e (low relief maki-e)
- Dimensions
- Height: 9.2 cm; Width: 5.8 cm; Depth: 2.0 cm
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Unknown
- Place recorded
- Japan
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Inrō
- Museum object number
- W.363-1922
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.