Antique Korean ido pottery incense case KONOYO

The inscription "Kono yo (this world)" comes from a poem by Izumi Shikibu in the Goshui Wakashu (a collection of medieval poetry) which reads: "Soon my life will be at an end: above all other memories of this world, let me remember this, the moment of our meeting" to express its rarity. Known to have been a possession of Sen no Rikyu, then Oribe, and Emperor Go-Mizunoo, it then passed to the Date family in Totomi Province. It entered the Fujita family in Taisho 5 (1916), before becoming a possession of Nezu Kaichiro in Showa 5 (1930). On the interior of the box lid is written "Kono yo" by Sen no Rikyu in India ink, and on the central box lid there is an inscription of "Kono yo: incense burner belonging to Sen no Rikyu" written in Kobori Enshu-style gold dust characters, while on the silk pouch "Kono yo" is written in India ink by Date Tsunamura. It is also accompanied by a provenance and an Imperial letter by Emperor Go-Mizunoo.

across: 7.5 cm
tall: 7.5 cm
origin: Korea
age 16 c
collection: Nezu museum