japanese antique lacquer accounting box with heavy metal work, suzuribako

Love Japanese Style Like We Do

A lovely quality, medium sized, Japanese antique suzuribako. Suzuribako were used as portable accounting chests. They were also known as a calligraphy box, being used to store an ink stone, brushes, ink stick, and paper.

This box is made of keyaki (zelkova) wood, the most prized hardwood for Japanese furniture and small accessory pieces. It is in very good condition and the wood has been lacquered in a warm, glossy, reddish-brown color.

The suzuribako has one large drawer for storing writing implements and the top lid of the box opens to place the ink stone. As with most of these boxes, the catch on the left needs to be held down while pulling the lid handle to the left, for opening.

Nice metal fittings adorn the box. There is a large metal lock on the front drawer with a key and a warabite handle for opening the drawer. A handle on top makes for easy transporting and the corners and joints of the box have been strengthened with metal pieces. The hinges are in good working order.

Dating around the late Meiji era, this is box that was used in everyday life and there are surface scratches, some small dents in the wood and ink stains, adding to its rustic, mingei appeal.

The suzuribako makes a great addition to a Japanese mingei collection and is a wonderful item to store precious, small items.

- box measures around 16.5 cm (6.4”) tall x 15 cm (6”) across x 24.5 cm (9.6”) deep.
- weighs 1,652 gm.

(listing for box only)

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ABOUT OUR VINTAGE, ANTIQUE AND OTHER ITEMS
We list pieces we feel are worthy of display. There may be scratches, dents, fading and signs of wear and tear. We try to explain the condition of each item exactly, but may miss something.

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SUZURIBAKO
The Japanese developed a large range of boxes for safekeeping valuables, documents, and personal belongings in both homes and shops. One of these boxes is the suzuribako. This box is a very small, portable lightweight chest that was used in shops during the Edo period and Meiji era to store ink, an ink stone, writing brushes, bills and receipts. The chests name is derived from ‘suzuri,’ the ink stone against which the sumi ink stick is rubbed with water to form ink. Suzuribako most often have a hinged lid with a small lock. There is a thin drawer for storing brushes and other larger drawers for storing various accounting items. Sometimes there was a thin drawer with a slide-out abacus.

The small chest was never used to store money. Money was stored in the very heavy zenibako (money chest). The light-weight suzuribako has a small iron carrying handle on the top of the lid, whereas the heavy zenibako has carrying handles on both sides.

ABOUT JAPANESE ANTIQUE FURNITURE
The roots of furniture production in Japan were function. Mastery and skill were evident in Japanese antique furniture but it was conceived of need and was more a folk craft than a fine art. Cabinetry craft developed in response to the demand for useful everyday containers, trunks and chests for totally functional purposes and that is where the the true beauty of Japanese furniture lies.

The Japanese lived on tatami mats in small houses. Their artistic aesthetic emphasized minimalism and decorative furniture and personal possessions weren’t acquired like in the West. Antique furniture was basically a large range of storage chests from small sewing boxes to very large chests for storing futons.

It was the lower classes, the merchants, artisans and farmers who created the greatest demand for furniture, for use in their homes, shops and farms. Wherever a need existed, a corresponding cabinet or tansu was developed, leading to the vast array of styles, shapes and sizes in Japanese furniture.

In the Edo and Meiji era clothing tansu with drawers for kimono (isho dansu), sewing boxes (hari bako), vanities (kyodai) and cabinets for tea utensils (cha dansu) and crockery (mizuya dansu) were important items in the home. Wooden safes (zeni dansu) guarded valuables in homes and shops. The upper classes, descendants of samurai families, would have had special order sword chests (katana dansu) and writing desks. Those studying Noh had a costume trunk and a small chest of square dressers for storing masks (nomen dansu).

Sea captains had special chests for storing valuables and documents on board (zeni dansu) The village chemist had a medicine chest (kasuri dansu) with many small drawers. The barber had a tall thin chest (dogu bako) for combs , razors and scissors. There was a special chest for those using hand tools (kanagu dogu bako). A merchant had a small box to store name seals (han bako) and a box to store an abacus, ink stone and brushes (suzuribako) for bills and receipts. Lamp oil was delivered in an oil peddlers box (abura gyosho hako).

These are just a sample of the wonderful array of functional Japanese furniture that can still be used today for storing any items relative to your lifestyle, while at the same time, creating a beautiful interior accent and a reminder of days gone by.

MINGEI
Mingei are the tools and utensils that were used daily by the common people in Japan. They were inexpensive, simple and functional. Usually produced by hand, in large quantities, their artists were anonymous. They became representative of the local area where they were produced.

The word Mingei combines ‘min’ meaning common people and ‘gei’ meaning art - the art of the common people. It was coined by the Japanese philosopher Sōetsu Yanagi. He found beauty in ordinary crafts for daily use and argued that true beauty could be found only in the objects made by unknown people, in a spirit of selfless innocence and in close harmony with nature.