A LACQUER MINIATURE SUZURIBAKO DEPICTING THE UJI BRIDGEJapan, 19th centuryOf rounded rectangular form with a flush-fitting cover, the exterior bearing a roiro ground richly decorated in gold and silver hiramaki-e and takamaki-e with kirikane to depict the Uji bridge over gushing waves with rockwork, willows, and thick clouds. The interior of rich nashiji with gold fundame edges, the baseboard fitted with a rectangular inkstone (suzuri) and silver waterdropper (suiteki) of circular form with raised chrysanthemum decoration. The underside of rich nashiji.SIZE 2.3 x 10.7 x 11 cmCondition: Very good condition with minor surface wear and few microscopic age cracks.The bridge by the Uji River, in southeast Kyoto, is a view long celebrated in literary works such as The Tale of Genji. Uji serves as the setting for the last ten chapters of The Tale of Genji, ending with ‘The Bridge of Dreams.’ Paintings of the Uji Bridge decorated palaces by the 900s and remained popular for the next thousand years.