19th century
Signature: Toyo [+kao]
Signature on the kagamibuta: Ryumin [+kao]
Height: 7.3 cm
Provenance:
Harriet Szechenyi collection
The body is made of tagasayan wood, a material with a dense grain and a natural warmth that lends itself well to lacquering. On one side, the main scene takes centre stage: two seated hares rendered in shibuichi takamaki-e. The reverse completes the iconographic theme: the full moon emerges in usuji gin ko-nashiji (a lacquer made from diluted silver powder, creating a veiled, lunar effect) above ferns and wild grasses in hiramaki-e.
The accompanying kagamibuta features a shakudo disc, engraved and inlaid with gold and silver takazogan, depicting a seated hare clad in a cloak, signed ‘Ryumin’ with a kao.
(Inv. #2008)
