Book Cabinet (Shodansu) for a set of "The Chronicle of Great Peace" (Taiheiki)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This drop-front cabinet was designed to store the forty-two volumes of the Taiheki, a Japanese historical epic written in the late fourteenth century. It tells the story of Emperor Go-Daigo’s accession in 1318, moves through Ashikaga Takauji’s betrayal of the Hōjō clan and Go-Daigo’s fall and expulsion by Takauji in 1333, and culminates with Go-Daigo’s return to Kyoto in 1338. The cabinet has six drawers, with inscriptions indicating which volume belongs to which drawer. The exterior of the cabinet is decorated with autumn grasses and flowers, further embellished with inlaid silver dewdrops. The upper part of the composition depicts clouds and mist (similar to Japanese painting) executed in very fine togidashimaki-e (burnished “sprinkled picture”) with delicate gradations. The edge of the box has stylized foliage designs.

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