Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Hell Courtesan’s Robe

Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Hell Courtesan’s Robe

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This small writing box merges two popular pictorial subjects: the “Whose Sleeves?” (Tagasode) composition and the Hell Courtesan (Jigoku Dayū). On the courtesan’s robe draped over a lacquer kimono rack, we see various demons and Emma-Ō, one of the Ten Kings of Hell, with his scowling red face and bulging eyes. According to local legends, the Hell Courtesan, from the port of Sakai, is said to have attained enlightenment with the help of the Zen monk Ikkyū (1394–1481).

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Hell Courtesan’s RobeWriting Box (Suzuribako) with Hell Courtesan’s RobeWriting Box (Suzuribako) with Hell Courtesan’s RobeWriting Box (Suzuribako) with Hell Courtesan’s RobeWriting Box (Suzuribako) with Hell Courtesan’s Robe

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.