Japanese Kinma Lacquer Chu Natsume Floral Scroll Tea Caddy Sanuki Style

Japanese Kinma Lacquer Chu Natsume Floral Scroll Tea Caddy Sanuki Style

Kagawa Japan, Showa period 

3 in H × 2.5 in dia (8 × 6 cm); Weight: under 1 lb (under 0.5 kg)

A chu-natsume (中棗) decorated in kinma (蒟醤), a technique of incising fine line designs into a lacquer ground and filling the channels with contrasting colored lacquer — here red, green, and gold against a deep black base. The method, originating in Southeast Asia and refined in Japan most notably within the Kagawa (Sanuki) lacquer tradition, produces richly patterned surfaces of exceptional intricacy. This example is covered overall in a dense continuous scroll of flowering vines and foliage, the curling tendrils and blossoms resolved with fine engraved detail across both body and domed lid; a beaded border ring at the lid join provides a neat visual transition. Interior in plain black lacquer. Accompanied by a plain wood storage box.

Condition: Very good; lacquer and inlaid color intact, no chips or losses noted. Light wear consistent with age.

A vivid and technically accomplished kinma natsume in the Sanuki tradition — the dense all-over decoration a hallmark of the style at its most exuberant.