Japanese Boxes

An elegant rectangular lacquered wood box, featuring a delicate hand-painted design on the lid depicting two cranes in flight amidst flowers and foliage. Crafted using traditional Japanese techniques, it boasts a beautiful original patina that attests to its age and authenticity. Equipped with a front lock (key not included), this box could have been used to store precious documents, jewelry, writing accessories, or personal items. Its refined decoration and timeless charm make it a wonderful collector's item and decorative piece. An antique piece full of character, ideal for enthusiasts of Japanese art and Asian objects. Style : Japanese Asian Art Meiji Traditional Lacquer 19th Century Key Features : Lacquered wood Hand-painted decoration Crane and flower motif Original lock (key missing) Beautiful antique patina Japanese craftsmanship 19th Century Decorative and collector's item Storage for jewelry or small objects Keywords : japanese lacquer box, antique japanese box, meiji lacquer box...

This is an antique Meiji table box. A Japanese, lacquer loose leaf tea case, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1900. Wonderful example of Japanese craftsmanship, with rich ...

This is a vintage Japanned pen box. A Japanese, lacquered Papier-mâché calligrapher's quill case, dating to the Art Deco period, circa 1930. Charming desktop pen case, ideal for col...

Antique early 20th century paint decorated carved wood apple box. Beautiful bright color. Measures 4 1/2" tall x 4 1/4" diameter. These apples were made in Japan for the American mar...

An elegant antique Japanese box in black lacquered wood, decorated with a delicate gold motif depicting a bird perched on a flowering branch, acco...

This box with many drawers is a Japanese tabako-bon, or 'tobacco tray,' used to store tobacco and smoking accessories. Believed to have evolved from the traditional accessories of Ja...

Japanese gilt lacquer document box with a calligraphy Document, painted and gilt in flowers, a dedicated artwork. The original decorated strings ...

This is an old Japanese wooden box, crafted in the Meiji to Taishō period (1860s–1920s). Despite its long history, it retains a quiet and compelling presence. The box is made from traditional sugi (Japanese cedar), whose soft grain and gentle texture reflect the depth and warmth of its age. The form is strikingly minimal—its design is completely free of unnecessary elements. Although it is simply a box, the composition of clean lines and planes gives it a subtle tension and understated beauty. It carries the precision and warmth of handcraft, something that cannot be replicated by industrial production. One particularly captivating feature is the visible trace of careful repairs made over many years. A knot hole on the side was thoughtfully patched with black washi paper, a practical repair that, over time, has become an expressive and almost artistic detail. In this small gesture, one can sense the quiet presence of Japanese aesthetic sensibilities. The top and sides bear gentle wear and abrasion accumulated over decades. Rather than damage, these marks serve as a texture created by time, giving the piece its unique depth and character. The box possesses a humble yet powerful presence—a true embodiment of wabi-sabi, the beauty of imperfection and age. The interior remains sturdy, offering ample storage capacity. It has been thoroughly cleaned, ensuring it can be used safely and comfortably. Its low, elongated proportions make it highly versatile: ideal as a low coffee table, a book table, a side table, or a display platform. Simply placing it in a modern interior instantly adds a sense of calm and visual depth. A simple yet richly expressive antique wooden box...

This is a box for the matcha powder using while tea ceremony in Japan. It is called 'Natsume'. It is made with wood. The design is a boat and it is hand painted. The material is with...

Nicely carved Inro with birds and flowers. Quality craftsmanship. Hand-carved pierced sides and top. Opens into two pieces, held together with a rust-red s...

A Japanese 18th Century Tsukinami-e 6 Panel Floor Screen depicts the Activities of the Twelve Months of the Year, mineral pigments on gold leaf, mounted on wood panels with 6 frames...

This is a Japanese lunch box. This is made of paulownia woods and painted with lacquer-Wajima. It can be used as decoration. Family crest: This fam...

Lovely sewing kit made of hand painted rattan, the top is decorated artistically with floral raffia work. Inside include plastic try and nice upholstered storage compartment. Excep...

Japanese lacquered papier-mâché box with hand-painted decoration, Japan, 19th century. A refined black lacquered papier-mâché box adorned with a rich polychrome decoration depicting...

A finely crafted Japanese tabletop cabinet from the early 20th century, this compact storage piece is richly detailed with traditional decorative techniques and export-era flourishes...

Porcelain bronze mounted box, Art Nouveau style Made of hand-painted crackled, glazed high quality bronze mounted porcelain. Signed on the bottom. An all over polychrome floral deco...

Rectangular Japanese box in lacquered papier-mâché with hand-painted decoration, Japan, 19th century. An elegant rectangular box in black lacquered papier-mâché, adorned with a delicate hand-painted design depicting cranes among reeds in a landscape inspired by Japanese artistic tradition. Executed in subtle shades of gray, gold, and brown against a deep black background, this composition evokes the serenity and refinement of Meiji-era decorative arts. The exquisite decoration, combined with the simplicity of the form, testifies to the craftsmanship of 19th-century Japanese artisans. Originally intended for storing documents, accessories, or precious objects, this box is now valued as both a collector's item and a decorative piece. A representative piece of the enduring passion for Japanese art, prized for its timeless elegance and exquisite craftsmanship. Style : Japonisme Japanese decorative art Meiji period Orientalist Japanese lacquer Late 19th century Main characteristics : Rectangular box with lid Black lacquered papier-mâché Hand-painted decoration Crane and aquatic plant motif Handcrafted Beautiful patina of age Japan, 19th century Decorative and collectible object Keywords : Japanese papier-mâché box, antique Japanese box, lacquered papier-mâché box, Meiji period box, Japanese decorative box, hand-painted lacquer box, crane motif box, oriental storage box, antique Japanese lacquerware...

Magnificent Japanese museum quality exhibition piece contemporary decorative porcelain box/centerpiece, extremely intricately hand-painted in vivid blue, orange and green on a stunni...

Incredibly sleek and classic multi-use decorative jewerly box. This beautiful box is divided in 2 compartments and lined with red velvet and includes a vanity...

A very attractive Japanese wood table top jewelry or collector's chest with marquetry and lacquer decoration, Meiji period, circa 1900, Japan. Previously in the collection of Asbjorn Lunde (1927 - 2017). The chest is crafted in the form of a Chinese seal...

This is a good papier mâché, rectangular shaped black lacquered lidded box, hand enamelled and gilded, made in Japan during the 19th century, early Meiji period. This rectangular shaped papier mâché box has a well fitting hinged lid, with the box base and lid slightly domed. The box was probably originally made as a pocket box but could easily sit on a desk or dressing table as required. This is a very decorative box with finely hand painted scenes of three people, one holding a parasol, in a garden setting, with a pagoda type building, large gate...

Japanese Large Lacquer Box with a Cover in Melon shape, depicting the melon with ivy branches, leaves, and butterflies.

A small and delightful Japanese yellow ground cloisonne round trinket or incense box, Meiji Period, circa 1910, Japan. The small box of squat, round shape, and may originally have b...

Antique Japanese Lacquered Box. Offered is a beautifully detailed Japanese lacquered box that dates to the 1920's. This decorative box is artful...

A fine Japanese porcelain box. Decorated to the exterior with a dark turquoise enamel ground with floral decorations. The figural finial as wel...

A Japanese covered silvered and enamel kogo or box for incense. The box is enameled with polychrome images of grape vines with berries made in the Plique a Jour technique on burgundy...

Antique Japanese Box scripture 1860s-1920s

For your consideration, an antique Japanese hibachi, a traditional wooden container used as a charcoal brazier for heating or cooking.It is constructed from Keyaki (elm) hardwood, fe...

Meticulously enamelled and gilt satsuma box, Meiji Period (1867-1912). Overall very good antique condition, base that the box sits on is a bit slanted. L...

Japanese vintage small box tansu chest of drawers, Kohikidashi, fully made of Kiri (Paulownia). Refinished by seller with traditional black Urushi ...

A gorgeous Majolica ceramic trompe l'Oeil asparagus covered box By Fitz & Floyd Japan, circa 1980s Measures: 7.25"W x 4"D x 3"H Very good original vintage condition.

A Japanese lacquered wood fubako (a box to store document or small scroll painting) circa late 18th century of Edo period. The rectangular box features a deep lid with rounded corners and recessed mid-edge and a lower box with two bronze medallion rings and tasseled silk ties. The surface of the fubako was elaborately decorated with hiramaki-e and a low takamaki-e on a mottled Mura-nashiji background. The motifs on the lid depict branches of Japanese pine with finely rendered needles on the lower part; on the upper part, it showcases fruited persimmon branches. Two different shades of gold fundame were used to contrast the design and augmented by scattered gold kirigane to highlight some of the leaves. The design continues and cascades down to all sides of the lid as well as the walls of the box. The two bronze medallions appear original to the box and the silk ties show significant fading from the age. This Fine fubako is signed on the lower wall "Kanshosai" in Kanji with a kao mark. All the trims were finished in gold fundame and the interiors a dense nashiji in gold. Kanshosai is the mark of the distinguished lacquer artist Lizuka Toyo I who also signed his work "Toyosai". He was active in the second half of the 18th century during Edo period, employed by Hachisuka Shigeyoshi (1738-1801), daimyo of Awa on Shikoku Island. Although most survived work bearing his marks are inros, he was also known to decorated trays and other larger objects...

Hand-carved free-standing Japanese Working Man Figurine. Okimono is a Japanese term meaning for display as an art or decorative object. Figure rests on an flat irregular oval base. T...

Beautiful vintage Japanese Shōwa lacquered & gold Suzuribako calligraphy chest. Circa early-mid 20th century. The chest with four drawers having a gold maki‑e cloud and landscape sc...

This rare and highly decorative 1930s Art Deco Takita porcelain lidded box is an exceptional example of Japanese Art Deco ceramic design, a category that remains far more elusive than its European and American counterparts. Versatile in form, the piece functions beautifully as a biscuit jar, tea caddy, ice bucket, or sculptural decorative container, making it both practical and collectable. The box is cylindrical and lantern-shaped, modeled after an accordion-pleated Asian paper lantern, giving it strong architectural presence and rhythmic geometry. The porcelain body is painted in a vibrant zig-zag pattern rendered in pastel pink, blue, and yellow against a crisp white ground. The lantern creases are dramatically emphasized with black horizontal accent lines, heightening contrast and reinforcing the bold, modernist Art Deco aesthetic. The removable lid features an asymmetrically placed gilt porcelain knob, a classic Art Deco touch that introduces tension and movement to the design. A woven rattan handle, secured by gilt porcelain mounts on either side, moves freely and adds a sophisticated material contrast, blending natural texture with gleaming glazed porcelain. The interior is clean and well preserved, with no chips or cracks to the interior, lid lip, or body rim. There is one chip to the base, measuring approximately 3/8 inch wide, which does not affect the visual presentation or functionality. The base is stamped “T/T Hand Paint Made in Japan.” While collectors are well acquainted with French Art Deco porcelain and ceramics by celebrated makers such as Robj, Lalique, Sèvres, and Limoges, as well as Czechoslovakian Art Deco manufacturers like Ditmar Urbach, Amphora, and Royal Dux, Japanese Art Deco porcelain...

This is a fine quality Japanese damascene case made by and signed Amita which was in business in Kyoto Japan from the 1930's to the 1970's. The tiger de...

A stunning Japanese Edo period lacquer tanzakubako, box for poem cards, late 18th-early 19th century, Edo Period, Japan. Attributed to the Igarashi School, this box is masterfully ...

Small rectangular Japanese chest with gold lacquer decoration in the form of leaf tendrils. The chest is decorated with cut-out and ornamentally engraved fittings on the corners and ...

An antique Japanese late Meiji era covered Totai enamel on porcelain trinket or jewelry box. Circa: late 19th century to early 20th century. The ware is enameled with a polychrome floral medallion with butterflies and berries, on the top of the cover, surrounded by floral, and foliage patterns made in the Cloisonne technique. A hand painted image of a flower, under the cover. Dated, 01.12.08, and probably numbered, 6, on the bottom. Totai Shippo...

A stunning antique Japanese silver jewelry or keepsake box intricately designed and handcrafted, circa 1900s. Double skinned body, sides and lid are embossed in high-relief with wa...

Pretty little Japanese lacquered box. On a golden metal medal inside we can read the royal motto of the Netherlands, adorned with a lion: "Je maintiendrai...

Japan, Edo to Meiji period, a long rectangular document box with hinged cover, decorated with a bird and a floral basket, The locker is not functioning.

Presenting an astonishing Japanese Antique Carved Bone Pillbox Inro, museum quality with the amazing carving skill depicting rats on the lid and body and the relief weaved basket pat...

For your consideration, an antique Japanese kashigata wooden mold used for shaping wagashi sweets. The hand-carved interior typically features floral or seasonal designs, such as the...

Sagejubako is a portable picnic set that became popular in the early Edo period when an additional meal was added between breakfast and dinner. It normally consists of a carry case w...

Vintage square porcelain lid with box features a traditional Arita style blue and white decor with abstract geometric motifs in Sometsuke decoration technique. The minimal shape of t...

A 19th-century Japanese wooden box with an elegant geometric shape, crafted using traditional Japanese decorative arts techniques. The black lacquered surface is adorned with delicate painted and inlaid motifs, blending stylized floral elements, graphic symbols, and decorative characters. The composition is structured by a play of diagonal lines and ornamental bands, lending the piece a remarkable visual restraint while revealing refined and meticulous craftsmanship. The contrasts between the deep black, the golden tones, and the light accents attest to masterful craftsmanship. The antique patina, with subtle signs of age, enhances the authenticity and charm of this piece. Serving as both a storage object and a decorative element, this box embodies the aesthetics of 19th-century Japan, where functionality and symbolism harmoniously converge. It will find its place naturally in a wabi-sabi, minimalist, or eclectic interior, or within a collection of antique Asian objects. Main features: Antique wooden box Japan, 19th century Black lacquered wood Painted and inlaid decoration Stylized symbolic and floral motifs Original patina Storage and collectible item Keywords: antique Japanese box...

Japanese antique mid size Tansu (chest of drawers), product of circa 1870s - 1900s, late Edo to Meiji era, estimate from the style & conditions. Remaining original paint gives a ...

Early Japanese Lacquer Incense Box (Kogo) Late 17thc. Of rectangular form with soft corners, decorated with a diaper pattern in gold lacquer on a brownish black ground, with pewter r...

This remarkable and highly decorative Japanese export large writing box is a rare high quality example with a complicated and intricate interior. The box is in very good condition c...

Japanese Cloisonne Detailed Antique decorative box with incredible colors detail and design. Most likely Meiji Era.

XIX Century Wooden Laquered Oriental Box This wonderful object depicted is an antique cylindrical box with a lid, technically classified as a lacquered wooden artefact, typically use...

At the first glance, this looks like an art piece done by a modern abstract artist - with the layers of random, thicker paint on it. But the truth is, this small box chest of drawers...

A white porcelain violin box with blue and green floral 'Chintz' design, circa mid-20th century, 1960s. This violin shaped box, outlined in gold, has a blue flower and green leaf chi...

A gorgeous modern clear crystal heart-shaped lidded jewelry box or trinket box By Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. Japan, Circa Late 20th Century Measures: 4.13"W x 4"D x 2"H. Very...

Vintage Japanese Landscape Music Box with Swiss Reuge Movement, Footed Wooden Jewelry Box, circa 1960s An elegant and highly decorative vintage wooden music box, handcrafted in a refined Japanese style and raised on delicate feet. The hinged lid is beautifully adorned with a finely hand-painted landscape scene depicting a river with a boat, framed by mountains and flowering red trees in the manner of traditional Japanese scenic art. Executed in warm tones of gold, red, green, and soft earth hues, the romantic composition evokes the charm of Meiji-inspired lacquerware and hand-colored Japanese landscapes. The polished wooden body features decorative inlaid detailing along the beveled edges, while the interior is lined in rich red felt, ideal for storing jewelry or treasured keepsakes. Fitted with a Swiss Reuge musical movement, the box begins to play upon opening. Renowned for precision craftsmanship since 1865, Reuge music mechanisms are highly sought after by collectors for their quality and enduring musical performance. A beautiful collectible and decorative accent for a vanity, desk, or tabletop. Dimensions: 4.5" W × 6" D × 2.5" H Materials: Wood, lacquer finish, felt lining, Swiss Reuge mechanism Origin: Japan / Switzerland movement Period: Circa 1960s Condition: Very good vintage condition with light wear consistent with age; music mechanism functions properly. Keywords / Meta Tags: Japanese music box...

Japanese Lacquer Inro with Netsuke Okame Mask, brown lacquer with 3 sections and 2 compartments, and carved ivory polychrome Okame mask and a rope hair. This item is from the Meiji P...

A fine and impressive Japanese gold maki-e decorated black lacquer five-tier jubako with presentation tray, two lids, and the original tomobako storage box, Meiji period, late 19th c...

A four-tier Japanese Meiji period black lacquer Jubako box with stork and fir tree decoration. Box in four sections with lid.

This is a small antique sharing box. A Japanese, lacquered Meiji era case, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1890. Attractive Meiji period (1867 - 1912) box with a striking...