A VERY RARE AND SUPERB INLAID LACQUER BOX AND COVER DEPICTING LUNAR HARES Japan, 19th century Of rounded rectangular form, the kinji ground finely decorated in gold, silver, and copper takamaki-e, hiramaki-e, and togidashi with kirigane as well as inlays of aogai (mother-of-pearl) to depict two hares amid leafy chrysanthemums, lilies, other flowers, and clovers as well as craggy rocks, the cover further with three silver-lacquered kana characters in cursive script (ashide) reading `Tsuki no yo` (`The moon at night`). The hares` eyes are inlaid with coral and amber. The base and interior of nashiji, the interior with gold fundame edges, the rims of silver. SIZE 7 x 15.3 x 11.6 cm Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear. Provenance: The Strong National Museum of Play, accession number 75.1892 (lacquered to the base). Old collector`s label `#16` to base. 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. The inscription on the present box, coupled with the two hares, is an allusion to the lunar hare, a mythical figure who lives on the moon in Far Eastern folklore, based on pareidolia interpretations that identify the dark markings on the near side of the moon as a rabbit or hare. This popular motif originates in China, where the rabbit is often portrayed as a companion of the moon goddess Chang`e, constantly pounding the elixir of life for her. In the Japanese variation, the lunar hare is often seen pounding mochi.