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Up for sale is this "Red Lacquer Makie Inro with Deer Antler Netsuke, Edo Period #5234" If you have any questions please contact us before buy it. No reserve.
Height: approx. 7.5cm (2 61⁄64in)
Width: approx. 7cm (2 3⁄4in)
thickness: 2.3cm (29⁄32in)
weight: 64g
condition: small damaged
Origin: Japan
An inro is a traditional Japanese case for holding small objects. Because traditional Japanese garb (Kimono) lacked pockets, objects were often carried by hanging them from the obi, or sash. Most types of these sagemono were created for specialized contents, such as tobacco, pipes, writing brush and ink, but inro were suited for carrying anything small. Consisting of a stack of tiny, nested boxes, inro were most commonly used to carry identity seals and medicines. The stack of boxes is held together by a cord that runs through cord runners down one side, under the bottom, and up the opposite side. The ends of the cord are secured to a netsuke, a kind of toggle that is passed between the sash and pants and then hooked over the top of the sash to suspend the inro. An ojime is provided on the cord between the inro and netsuke to hold the boxes together. This is a bead with a hole through the center through which the cord is passed. It is slid down to the top of the inro to hold the stack together while the inro is worn, and slid up next to the netsuke when the boxes need to be unstacked to access their contents. Inro were made of a variety of materials, including wood, ivory, bone, and lacquer. Lacquer was also used to decorate inro made of other materials.