An exquisitely carved Tea caddy of intricate woven design by Yamashita Kosetsu enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Tsuikoku Mushi Kago Chaki (Insect Cage Shaped Carved Lacquer Tea Caddy). The box is endorsed by a tea master Sen Sosa (1901-1979) of the Omotesenkei Tea School, and comes enclosed in a second black lacquered wooden box (Niju Bako) usually reserved for only the best. The container is over 7 cm (just less than 3 inches) diameter and roughly the same height in excellent condition.
Unlike traditional Japanese lacquerware such as Wajima-nuri or Kyoto-style lacquerware, Kagawa (Takamatsu) lacquerware was born in the late Edo period under the patronage of the Matsudaira clan of Takamatsu. The foundation of this distinctive tradition was laid by Tamakaji Zōkoku (1806–1869), a saya-nurishi (lacquerer of sword sheaths), who studied lacquer techniques from China and Southeast Asia. In the opening years of the 20th century the Yamashita family was carrying on the tradition. Kosetsu, along with his younger brothers Kodo and Yosai all became maters in the field. In fact his younger sibling Kodo, later adopted into the Otomaru family, was named a Living National Treasure.
