A tea caddy in pale earthy glaze with spalasehs of copper green inside, covered in black lacquer and decorated with butterflies and pine boughs stamped on the base Toyoraku and enclosed in a period wooden box. It is 6 cm diameter, 6.5 cm tall (roughly 2-12 inches) and in excellent condition.
The Toyoraku tradition began in the mid 1700s, however it was the fourth generation head of the household (Toyosuke IV 1813~1858) who moved the kiln to Kamimaezu in Nagoya and began applying lacquer and Maki-e to the works. He was succeeded by his son, Toyosuke V (d. 1885) who passed the kiln to his own son Toyosuke VI, (d. 1917), who was highly lauded in his lifetime and made pottery on order of the Meiji emperor, his pieces being selected for international exhibition. The family lineage ended in the Taisho period.
