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

During the Muromachi period (1392–1573), many sutras came to Japan from China. These Buddhist scriptures were stored in lacquered boxes decorated in gold inlay. Highly prized in Japan, such pieces were passed down through the generations. Although this work resembles several other extant boxes, it stands out for its inscription and well-kept condition.

This rectangular box has wide, beveled edges and a fitted lid. Peacock pairs rest within water chestnut–shaped frames on the lid and the 2 longer sides. The 2 shorter sides each depict a pair of parrots instead. All the birds are surrounded by clouds, while the space outside the frames is filled with peony arabesques. These designs are all rendered in gold inlay. This process involves carving shallow grooves into a dry lacquered surface, applying wet lacquer to the grooves as an adhesive, then inserting gold foil as an inlay. This Chinese gold inlay technique, called qiangjin, is known as chinkin in Japanese.

The inner surface of the lid bears a black lacquer inscription in Chinese, probably written with a stencil. It says, “Yanyou year 2 (1315), Hangzhou Oil Department, Chief Carpenter Chan Zheng, made by the Qiaojin Family.” This indicates that the box was created in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. A valuable artifact, this box helps us better understand how Japan received objects from China.