Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Screen, Robe Rack, and Shell-Matching Game Set

Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Screen, Robe Rack, and Shell-Matching Game Set

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this modern rendering of the “Whose Sleeves?” (Tagasode) composition, the screen at the back of the interior is decorated with a landscape executed to mimic ink painting and a kimono, obi, and inrō are draped over a lacquer kimono rack. The kimono is adorned with irises and an eight-fold bridge (Japanese: yatsuhashi), a well-known motif from the Tales of Ise. The pair of lacquer shell-matching game boxes and shells symbolize happy marriage.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Screen, Robe Rack, and Shell-Matching Game SetWriting Box (Suzuribako) with Screen, Robe Rack, and Shell-Matching Game SetWriting Box (Suzuribako) with Screen, Robe Rack, and Shell-Matching Game SetWriting Box (Suzuribako) with Screen, Robe Rack, and Shell-Matching Game SetWriting Box (Suzuribako) with Screen, Robe Rack, and Shell-Matching Game Set

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.