Golden Autumn grasses rise majestically against the silver sky, the lid tapered around a flat central disc implicating the moon on this exquisite lacquered Tea Container contained in a double wood box (Nijubako) signed Shoetsu and titled Musashino Maki-e Yukibuki. "Musashino Maki-e" refers not to a particular lacquer technique but rather to a decorative theme depicting the celebrated Musashino landscape, typically characterized by a large full moon rising above fields of autumn grasses, especially pampas grass (susuki). This imagery evokes the poetic associations of the Musashino plain that have been cherished in Japanese literature and art since the Heian period. “Yukibuki” can be translated as wind blown snow, and perhaps the artist sees in the silver background late Autumn Pampas grasses standing before gusts of snow. The container is 7.3 cm (3 inches) diameter, the same height, and in perfect condition.
In Japanese Decorative Motifs, Vol. 16: Autumn Grasses (Nihon no Mon'yō 16: Akikusa, edited by Kawahara Masahiko et al., Kōrinsha Publishing), a section entitled "The Moon over Musashi" (Musashi no Tsuki) appears on page 24. It states that the vast landscape and natural beauty of Musashino captivated the imagination of the court aristocracy, leading "Musashino" to become a recurring theme in painting and decorative arts. The text describes "a great moon floating in the sky, and autumn grasses glowing as though illuminated by its light..." and notes that "between the moon hanging high overhead and the viewer stretches the broad expanse of Musashino, unobstructed by any intervening forms."
