An important mixed metal box and cover
By Unno Moritoshi (1834-1896)
The rounded rectangular box with a slightly domed cover and decorated in a tour de force of metalwork techniques; the cover designed with a scene of the young priest Yuten kneeling in prayer as Fudo Myo-o appears before him in flames about to thrust his sword into the acolyte's throat, all rendered in high-relief iroe takazogan, takabori, shishiaibori and kebori against a polished or ishime silver ground, the border slightly raised and decorated in scrolling vines in two shades of gold and punctuated by lotus blossoms carved in relief and inlaid in silver and gold, the sides of the box worked in a continuous design of "textile swaths" decorated with floral roundels, confronted dragons, plovers on waves, lozenges, rabbits in waves, autumn grasses, Chinese boys in scholarly pursuits, waves, peonies, floating fans and maple leaves, all in flush-inlaid gold, silver, copper, shakudo and shibuichi with additional sections designed with dragons, phoenix and shishi in silver carved in sunken-relief embellished with gold and copper, and peacock feathers in iroe takazogan, the interior of the lower section of the box decorated with Buddhist dharma wheels and plumb-blossom crests in gold, copper and shakudo hirazogan, the underside of the lid designed with a gold-inlaid Buddhist vajra and an open sutra hand scroll inscribed with Moritoshi's interpretation of the story of Yuten, the leader paper decorated in gold hirazogan against a shakudo migakiji ground, the gold cartouche on the scroll reading Shaku Yuten (Priest Yuten)
and dated Kinoesaru inuzuki (1884.10) and signed Moritoshi jishiki (Interpreted by Moritoshi) 4 x 4 1/16 x 1 3/16in (10.2 x 10.3 x 3cm)
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