Footnotes

• The story of Yuten Shaku tells of a young acolyte who was hopeless at his studies. Though he spent countless hours studying the sutras, he was unable to master them. Yuten's teachers eventually gave up on him and he began to lose heart. In despair, Yuten made a vow before an image of Fudo Myo-o that he would become a better student and that very night he dreamt that he swallowed a sword. When he woke up the following morning he was coughing up blood and with it his stupidity. From that day forward he was transformed into a bright and gifted student, regarded throughout the land as the wisest man alive. This box is Moritoshi's interpretation of Yuten's story.
  
  The Ozeki family were among the most active commissioners of high-quality decorative arts in the Meiji period. They exhibited a number of these commissioned pieces at expositions where they often won awards for their discerning eye for qualitye. The family would also sell the pieces they commissioned through their company, the Musashiya, stamped with the Ozeki Company seal.
  
  Unno Moritoshi was one of the artists commissioned by the Ozeki family. Although this box does not include the Ozeki Company seal, the superior craftsmanship and high-quality material used suggests the backing of a wealthy patron.
  
  For other examples of works by Moritoshi commissioned by the Ozeki Company, see The Nasser D. Khalili Collection vol. II, Metalwork Part I (London: The Kibo Foundation, 1995), nos. 48 & 50.