Skip to main content
Items Similar to Japanese Gilt Lacquer Tabako-Bon with River Turtles, Edo Period
Japanese Lacquer and Cinnabar "Samurai" Cabinet, Inaba Family, Edo Period
Japanese Lacquer and Cinnabar "Samurai" Cabinet, Inaba Family, Edo Period
Japanese Lacquer Box with Mother-of-Pearl Inlay and Parquetry Drawers
Japanese Lacquer Box with Mother-of-Pearl Inlay and Parquetry Drawers
Japanese Maki-e Lacquer Stacking Box, Jubako, Meiji Period, Japan
Japanese Maki-e Lacquer Stacking Box, Jubako, Meiji Period, Japan
A large 19th century Japanese lacquer writing box with a secret compartment
A large 19th century Japanese lacquer writing box with a secret compartment
Japanese Lacquer Smoking Box, Tabako Bon, Edo Period, 19th Century
Japanese Lacquer Smoking Box, Tabako Bon, Edo Period, 19th Century
Japanese Tebako in Nashiji lacquer adorned with golden Persimon flowers
Japanese Tebako in Nashiji lacquer adorned with golden Persimon flowers
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 5

Japanese Gilt Lacquer Tabako-Bon with River Turtles, Edo Period

$780
£587.81
€686.87
CA$1,106.88
A$1,110.24
CHF 644
MX$13,552.65
NOK 7,459.39
SEK 7,634.18
DKK 5,134.33

About the Item

This box with many drawers is a Japanese tabako-bon, or 'tobacco tray,' used to store tobacco and smoking accessories. Believed to have evolved from the traditional accessories of Japanese incense ceremony, tabako-bons first came into use in the 17th century and were often beautifully decorated to display one's wealth and status. This elegant tabako-bon is lacquered and gilt in the takamaki-e style with a riverside scene of turtles swimming and basking in the sun. A repeated motif in Japanese folklore, turtles represent longevity, wisdom and protection. The turtles are depicted as the mythical creature known as "minogame," or "straw-raincoat turtle," named for the long tail that trails behind it while it swims. This "straw" tail comes from the algae and seaweed that grows on the shell of older turtles, an indication of their long lifespan and accumulated wisdom. Two removable brass containers are set into the top, the larger a small hibachi (hi-ire) used for lighting one's pipe. Insulated by a layer of ash, lit charcoal was placed into the hibachi and accessed via the ruyi-form cut-out in the domed lid. On the right is a matching container (haifuki) used to hold ash and waste. Both are finely etched with clouds and florals, as are the crane-form plates that anchor the handle. An exquisite example of a fine Japanese lacquerware, this smoking box lives on as a beautiful keepsake of the past.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 6 in (15.24 cm)Width: 9 in (22.86 cm)Depth: 6 in (15.24 cm)
  • Style:
    Edo (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Brass,Wood,Gilt,Lacquered
  • Place of Origin:
    Japan
  • Period:
    Mid-19th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1850
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor structural damages. Minor fading. Minor losses to lacquer throughout. Some restoration to address structural issues to frame. Bottom drawer does not open.
  • Seller Location:
    Chicago, IL
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: CANT0131stDibs: LU820049708052

More From This Seller

View All
Japanese Gilt Takamaki-E Tabako-Bon, C. 1850

Japanese Gilt Takamaki-E Tabako-Bon, C. 1850

Japanese Gilt Takamaki-E Tabako-Bon, C. 1850

Located in Chicago, IL

This box with many drawers is a Japanese tabako-bon, or 'tobacco tray,' used to store tobacco and smoking accessories. Believed to have evolved from the t...

Category

Antique Mid-19th Century Japanese Meiji Lacquer

Materials

Brass

Japanese Gilt Tabako-Bon with Mountain Landscape, c. 1850

Japanese Gilt Tabako-Bon with Mountain Landscape, c. 1850

Japanese Gilt Tabako-Bon with Mountain Landscape, c. 1850

Located in Chicago, IL

This lacquered box is a Japanese tabako-bon, or 'tobacco tray,' used to store tobacco and smoking accessories. Believed to have evolved from the tradition...

Category

Early 20th Century Japanese Edo Decorative Boxes

Materials

Copper

Japanese Keyaki Elm Tabako-Bon, c. 1900

Japanese Keyaki Elm Tabako-Bon, c. 1900

Japanese Keyaki Elm Tabako-Bon, c. 1900

Located in Chicago, IL

This box with many drawers is a Japanese tabako-bon, or 'tobacco tray,' used to store tobacco and smoking accessories. Believed to have evolved from the t...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Brass

Japanese Tabako-bon with Two Rabbits, c. 1920

Japanese Tabako-bon with Two Rabbits, c. 1920

Japanese Tabako-bon with Two Rabbits, c. 1920

Located in Chicago, IL

This wooden box is a Japanese tabako-bon, or 'tobacco tray,' used to store tobacco and smoking accessories. Believed to have evolved from the traditional ...

Category

Early 20th Century Japanese Taisho Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Bamboo, Bakelite, Hardwood

Japanese Meiji Gilt Lacquer Writing Desk & Poem Box

Japanese Meiji Gilt Lacquer Writing Desk & Poem Box

Japanese Meiji Gilt Lacquer Writing Desk & Poem Box

Located in Chicago, IL

With intricate construction and exquisite decoration, this fine tabletop writing set is a masterpiece of Japanese lacquerware. The matching set includes a writing table (bundai) and poem box (tanzaku bako), both decorated with gilt lacquer in the style of takamaki-e and hiramaki-e urushi lacquer. Framed by everted ends, the lacquered table top is masterfully worked, depicting a robed man seated on a veranda within an idyllic mountain-and-water landscape. Swirling clouds drift overhead and pine trees bend towards the sky, formed of raised lacquer (takamaki-e) and mother of pearl inlay (raden). Dark lacquer at the corners imitate metal hardware and the sculptural corner legs are decorated with raised motifs of maple leaves. The writing table includes a matching poem box (tanzaku bako), used for storing paper cards of painted calligraphy and poetry. The lid is similarly decorated in shimmering gilt lacquer with a raised design of a fine carriage beneath a pine tree, draped in cloths and shaded by bamboo blinds...

Category

Early 20th Century Japanese Meiji Lacquer

Materials

Mother-of-Pearl, Wood

Japanese Inlaid Paulownia Tabako-Bon, c. 1930

Japanese Inlaid Paulownia Tabako-Bon, c. 1930

Japanese Inlaid Paulownia Tabako-Bon, c. 1930

Located in Chicago, IL

This wooden vessel is a Japanese tabako-bon, or 'tobacco tray,' used in tandem with a smoking pipe. Believed to have evolved from the traditional accessor...

Category

Early 20th Century Japanese Taisho Antiquities

Materials

Metal, Copper

You May Also Like

Japanese Lacquer Smoking Box, Tabako Bon, Edo Period, 19th Century

Japanese Lacquer Smoking Box, Tabako Bon, Edo Period, 19th Century

Japanese Lacquer Smoking Box, Tabako Bon, Edo Period, 19th Century

Located in Austin, TX

A very fine Japanese maki-e lacquer decorated tabako bon, or smoking box, late Edo Period, mid-19th century, Japan. The elegant smoking box of black lacquer decorated with a wonderful gold lacquer takamaki-e design of a gnarled and elegantly twisted plum tree with branches in full bloom. A border of golden cranes in flight to the top. The smoking box, called a tabako bon, is comprised of an open section at the top with inset with two cylindrical metal canisters...

Category

Antique Mid-19th Century Japanese Edo Lacquer

Materials

Lacquer

Japanese Tebako in Nashiji lacquer adorned with golden Persimon flowers

Japanese Tebako in Nashiji lacquer adorned with golden Persimon flowers

Japanese Tebako in Nashiji lacquer adorned with golden Persimon flowers

Located in PARIS, FR

Tebako box with two compartments in golden and nashi-ji lacquer, decorated with golden, red, and kirigane lacquer, golden persimmon tree leaves, among rocks. The compartments are of ...

Category

Antique Early 19th Century Japanese Meiji Lacquer

Materials

Gold

Japanese Lacquer and Cinnabar "Samurai" Cabinet, Inaba Family, Edo Period

Japanese Lacquer and Cinnabar "Samurai" Cabinet, Inaba Family, Edo Period

Japanese Lacquer and Cinnabar "Samurai" Cabinet, Inaba Family, Edo Period

Located in Troy, NY

Exceptionally large and rare lacquer cabinet. According to the heraldry, visible on the headgear in one of the panels, it was made for the Inaba family, a high ranking Daimyo family,...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Edo Lacquer

Materials

Bronze

Important Early Edo Period 17th Century Miniature Japanese Lacquer Cabinet

Important Early Edo Period 17th Century Miniature Japanese Lacquer Cabinet

Important Early Edo Period 17th Century Miniature Japanese Lacquer Cabinet

Located in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

A Rare and Important 17th Century Miniature Japanese Lacquer Cabinet, 19 cm H, 17cm W, 16.5cm D. The exquisitely decorated cabinet depicts fine floral raised scenes to each side. l...

Category

Antique 17th Century Decorative Boxes

Materials

Lacquer

Kobako in black and gold lacquer decorated of a pavillion by a lake

Kobako in black and gold lacquer decorated of a pavillion by a lake

Kobako in black and gold lacquer decorated of a pavillion by a lake

Located in PARIS, FR

Elegant rectangular kobako decorated in nashiji lacquer on a black ground. The lid features a delicate landscape scene depicting a pavilion—possibly a small castle—set beside a river...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Furniture

Materials

Gold Leaf