By Gyokusen, signed GyokusenJapan, first half of 20th centuryThe silver-sprinkled and nashiji lacquer ground neatly decorated in gold, red, and black takamaki-e and gold and red hiramaki-e with Gagaku court music instruments, such as a biwa, a tsuzumi (hand drum), a flute, two drumsticks, one inside a silk pouch, and two pairs of clappers (shakubyoshi). The interior with nashiji and gold fundame edges. The recessed base signed GYOKUSEN.DIAMETER 8 cmCondition: Very good condition with minor surface wear.Provenance: British private collection.The natsume, literally jujube (Chinese date), named for its resemblance to the fruit, is the favored receptacle for the powdered green tea used in the tea ceremony. It is said to be one of the many new forms of tea utensil introduced by the great tea-master Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591).Gagaku (lit. ‘elegant music’) is a type of Japanese classical music that was historically used for imperial court music and dances. Gagaku was developed as court music of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and its near-current form was established in the Heian period (794-1185) around the 10th century. Today, it is performed by the Board of Ceremonies in the Tokyo Imperial Palace.