Description A FINE TSUISHU FOUR-CASE LACQUER INRO WITH CHORYO AND KOSEKIKOUnsignedJapan, 19th century, Edo period (1615-1868)The four-case inro of upright form and oval section, lacquered in tsuishu (carved red lacquer) and finely worked in high relief depicting Choryo with his sword drawn, standing atop a water dragon amidst crashing waves, and presenting the fallen shoe to Kosekiko who is shown on the other side mounted on his horse striding across a bridge and holding a scroll. The scene is set beneath a neatly carved pine tree, the sides of the inro are incised with key fret borders, the top and bottom beautifully incised with floral designs. The interior lacquered in red.HEIGHT 8.2 cm, LENGTH 4.6 cmCondition: Very good condition, some tiny losses to lacquer.Provenance: German private collection. The interior with some old Japanese labels and remnants of incense.Zhang Liang (known as Choryo in Japanese) was a Chinese military strategist and politician who lived in the early Western Han dynasty. The present inro depicts the legend of when Choryo met the old man Kosekiko (Huang Shigong) on a bridge. The old man began to teach the art of war to Choryo and one day Kosekiko wanted to test Choryo and threw a shoe into the river where a powerful water dragon lived. The dragon seized the shoe and Choryo defeated it and gave the shoe back to Kosekiko.