SHIBAYAMA AND KAJIKAWA: A FINE SHIBAYAMA INLAID GOLD LACQUER FOURCASE INRO WITH CAPARISONED ELEPHANT
By Kajikawa (lacquer) and Shibayama (inlay), signed Shibayama and Kajikawa with red pot seal
Japan, late 19th century, Meiji period (1868-1912)

A superbly inlaid gold lacquer inro depicting a caparisoned elephant on one side, and parading boys dressed in Korean garments on the other side. The inro shows a festival scene - a reenactment of a procession of the Korean embassy through Japan to Edo (now Tokyo). The boys are lacquered in red, gold and silver takamaki-e with finely inlaid faces, holding various instruments and a banner, all set underneath pine trees and clouds. The elephant on the other side, next to the pine tree, is inlaid and has a fierce expression. His saddle is inlaid with stained material, lacquer, bronze, horn, tortoise shell and mother of pearl. The inside with dense nashiji. The underside with the signature KAJIKAWA 梶川 with red pot seal, and further signature SHIBAYAMA 芝山 on an inlaid mother of pearl tablet.

With a shibayama ojime inlaid with mother of pearl, horn and coral and a square manju netsuke showing various geometrical patterns in shishiabori (sunken relief).

Inro HEIGHT 8.6 cm, manju netsuke HEIGHT 4.2 cm, ojime HEIGHT 1.5 cm

Condition: Minor wear to the edges of the inro, some wear to the fundame ground, one tiny inlay to the saddle cloth has been lost - generally, in very good condition.
Provenance: British private collection.