For the first time in almost a decade a book has been produced to excite the collector of lacquer and inro. Lavishly illustrated, it shows over 150 inro from one of the most sophisticated and highly prized private collections in the Western hemisphere. pp.306, excellent full colour plates. #0417

An inr?à?ì is a traditional Japanese case for holding small objects, suspended from the obi. They are often highly decorated, in a variety of materials and techniques, in particular often using lacquer.

Because traditional Japanese robes lacked pockets, objects were often carried by hanging them from the obi, or sash, in containers known as sagemono (a Japanese generic term for a hanging object attached to a sash). Most sagemono were created for specialized contents, such as tobacco, pipes, writing brush and ink, but the type known as inr?à?ì was suitable for carrying anything small. pp. 306 illusts A very handsome item!