Description A PAIR OF FINE KANAMONO (POUCH FITTINGS) DEPICTING OKAME AND A NIO SCULPTORJapan, Meiji period (1868-1912)The pouch fittings of ovoid form and made from shibuichi, decorated in gold and copper takazogan, one depicting Okame hiding behind her sleeves and laughing mischievously while she holds a baton, the second depicting a sculptor at work on a Nio guardian 's head.LENGTH 4.8 cm and 4.5 cmCondition: Very good condition, minor wear, fine polish.Provenance: The Strong National Museum of Play, accession number 78.14698 and 78.14699 (lacquered to the back). Margaret Woodbury Strong (1897-1969) grew up in a prosperous family of collectors. Her interests ranged so widely that by 1960 she had amassed more than 27,000 collectible items and works of art. The vast majority of her collections related in some way to play and as her accumulation grew, Margaret planned a museum to house her collection. It eventually opened to the public in 1982, and grew dramatically over the following decades, expanding its collections, facilities, and resources, now spanning over 285,000 square feet. Today, the Strong National Museum of Play (known as just The Strong Museum or simply The Strong) is the only collections-based museum in the world devoted solely to the study of play.