Description † IKKOKUSAI: A SUPERB TAKAMORIE LACQUERED CIRCULAR WOOD BOX AND COVER WITH INSECTS AND LEAVESBy Ikkokusai, signed IkkokusaiJapan, Meiji period (1868-1912)Of compressed globular form, the box with deep rounded sides supported on a short foot and rising to a gently incurved rim, the domed cover with a black and red-lacquered knop handle, the finely polished wood of attractive grain and color, well decorated in colored takamori-e with a praying mantis, two wasps, and partly nibbled leaves borne on vines, the base with a spiral design and the signature IKKOKUSAI saku [made by Ikkokusai].DIAMETER 20 cmCondition: Very good condition with minor wear, few small losses to lacquer. Provenance: British collection.Kinjo Ikkokusai III perfected the takamori-e design technique and won an award for excellence at the Kyoto Exhibition in Meiji 9 (1876). His reputation for work in this technique grew and at least 14 items were produced by him for the Meiji emperor. His son Kinoshita Chisai did not succeed to his father's name, which went instead to his younger brother, who became Ikkokusai IV. The current generation practicing this rare technique, Kinjo Ikkokusai VII, was designated as a Hiroshima Prefectural Intangible Cultural Property Holder in "Ikkokusai Takamorie" techniques in 2011.Literature comparison: Compare a related hanaike (flower container) depicting spiders in takamori-e, by Kinoshita Chisai (the son of Kinjo Ikkokusai III), with Rosemary Bandini Japanese Art. Compare also a related bowl with similar nibbled leaves in takamori-e by Kinjo Ikkokusai, dated 19th century, in the collection of the Maidstone Museum and Art Gallery, Kent, United Kingdom.