National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

This ivory cylinder was turned on a lathe. The rim of the body is raised and the lid is round with a curved surface, which represents an inrobutazukuri technique. On the surface of each cylinder, patterns of birds, animals and flowers are applied by a pachiru technique (flipping technique).
Pachiru is a decorating technique to create a pattern by flipping the ivory surface dyed in red, green, or navy blue with a chisel. Since the dyestuffs do not infiltrate deep into the ivory, the only carved areas show the white ground. Although this was a popular technique in the Tang period in China, only a few examples currently exist among the treasures of Shosoin and those donated to the Imperial Household by Horyuji Temple.