Japan. Meiji period. Wood. Black lacquer with hira- and takamaki-e with gold foil and details of silver and red lacquer, inside with thin nashiji. On the lid two New Year decorations (kadomatsu) with a small curtain of straw threads (nawa noren), decorated with citrus (tachibana) and fern. Inside the lid decorated with flowering prunus and three hototogisu-birds (Cuculus poliocephalus). The decoration is meant to evoke the New Year and the time of the late winter afterward. Height 23.5cm, width 22.5cm. Condition B. Supplement: Inside with an ink stone (suzuribako) and water dropper (suiteki) from copper. On the upper side a few scratches and one dent.