Taisho era (1912-1926), early 20th century Each lavishly decorated in gold and silver takamaki-e, gold, silver and black hiramaki-e, and fundame and highlighted with inlays of mother-of-pearl and silver; the rectangular suzuribako with an overhanging cover and decorated on the exterior with a continuous design of an open folding fan strewn with vines of yugao (moonflower), all against a glossy roiro-nuri ground, the edges of the cover decorated with stylized floral scroll on nashiji lacquer, the interior of the box decorated with floral roundels on a lattice-work grid against a hirame ground, the box fitted with a frame supporting a rectangular ink stone lacquered with cherry-blossom florets on a nashiji-lacquer ground and applied with a silver rim, the shakudo suiteki (water dropper) formed as a kettle and set into a three-stage shakudo and gilt saucer, with two writing brushes, a paper knife, a paper pricker, and an inkstick holder and inkstick, all decorated with plum or cherry blossoms on a nashiji ground, the rims silver; the bundai decorated with trailing vines of moonflower on a split-bamboo fence and a rock garden with embellishments of silver and gold kirikane, the edges of the bundai with floral vines on a nashiji ground, the legs decorated in fundame and roiro-nuri in a checkerboard pattern, the silver hardware carved with cherry-blossom florets on a nanako ground Suzuribako 11 x 10 1/2 x 2 3/8in (28 x 26.6 x 6cm); bundai 13 7/8 x 23 1/2 x 3 5/8in (35.2 x 59.6 x 9.2cm)