Cylindrical box

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This box probably held a tea whisk. The designs are of the autumn grass hagi (bush clover), susuki (acanthus plants) with dew, and bamboo blinds. A half-moon is encrusted in pewter on the black-lacquered lid. These motifs evoke an episode in Chapter 10 of the Tale of Genji, "The Sacred Tree" (Sakaki), in which Genji visits the Rokujo Lady at Nonomiya Shrine before she leaves Kyoto to accompany her princess at the Ise Shrine.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art