A Japanese Box Of A Scene From The Legend Of Minamoto No Tametomo

A Japanese tobacco box in wood and ivory, finely carved and inlaid with a scene inspired by the legend of the samurai Minamoto no Tametomo.

The main scene shows Minamoto, accompanied by several attendants and a female figure, just moments after releasing his arrow. On one side, the keel of a Taira (Heike) clan ship is depicted, struck and about to sink — a legendary episode linked to the H?gen Rebellion. On the opposite side, three figures beneath a matsu (pine tree) gaze in astonishment at the event. The lid is decorated with a handle shaped like intertwined persimmon fruits and branches.

Signed Gyokumin on mother-of-pearl under the base.

Minamoto no Tametomo (1139–1170), a legendary archer of the Heian period, is famous for having sunk a Taira ship with a single arrow, according to epic chronicles. After the H?gen Rebellion, he was exiled and eventually took his own life by seppuku, an act considered by tradition to be the first of its kind by a samurai.

Period: Meiji, late 19th century
Dimensions: 23 × 14 × 12 cm
Condition: Excellent