地獄大夫蒔絵硯箱|Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Hell Courtesan’s Robe

Unknown

ca. 1850–70 · Lacquered wood with gold, silver, iroko (color) takamaki-e, hiramaki-e on black ground · Asian 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).

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1850–70

Medium

Lacquered wood with gold, silver, iroko (color) takamaki-e, hiramaki-e on black ground

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. George A. Crocker (Elizabeth Masten), 1937