2-748-360 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Writing Box (Suzuribako) with Pine, Camellia, and Bamboo, 1400s. Writing boxes were indispensible personal possessions for the literate of medieval Japan. Beyond containing the tools for artistic expression and communication such as an ink stone, writing brushes, and a water dropper, writing boxes often featured scenes from classical literature or symbolic motifs rendered in a wide array of complex lacquer techniques.