Long, decorated cards for the calligraphic presentation of poems are called tanzaku in Japanese. This box is a collaboration between the designer Kamisaka Sekka and the lacquer artist Iwamura Sadazō. Together, they crafted this box with a golden bamboo lid, and filled it with cards decorated with gold leaf designs.
Credit: Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of Leighton R. Longhi
1868-1912
Wood with lacquer
37.5 x 7.1cm
1991.120
Image and text: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023
Where you'll find this
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Permanent collection