Pair of Kai-awase Game Boxes, Japan Edo period early 19th century

Black-brown and gold lacquer, engraved and gilded brass fittings

Height 44 cm – diameter 39 cm

A pair of Japanese black-brown lacquer boxes, cylindrical in shape with ribbed edges, resting on four lacquered feet. Each box is decorated on its sides and on the top of the lid with the kamon (heraldic emblem) of the Ichij? family, represented by the character "?" (ichi, "one") inscribed within a circle (Ichimonji maru). This very simple motif symbolizes unity and integrity, values ??associated with this lineage descended from the powerful Fujiwara clan.

The decoration is completed by engraved and gilded brass ornamentation with floral scroll motifs, which reinforces the feet, the rim of the lids, and certain parts of the box. These finely crafted fittings also incorporate the kamon at the center of the scrolls, creating a subtle interplay between gilded metal and dark lacquer. The piece retains its original balance and an undiminished brilliance, with only a few discreet signs of wear, characteristic of an early 19th-century court object.

These boxes were intended for kai-awase, literally "shell matching," a refined game that originated at the imperial court of the Heian period (8th–12th centuries). It consisted of finding the two halves of a single clam shell, the interior of which was often painted with poetic scenes. Because each shell fits only with its original half, this game became a symbol of perfect marital union. Kai-awase sets were thus given as gifts at aristocratic weddings, reflecting the rank and wealth of the families who commissioned them.

The Ichij? family, founded in the 13th century by Fujiwara no Tadamichi (1097–1164), descends from the prestigious Fujiwara clan, which dominated the imperial court for several centuries. The Ichij?-ke was one of the five great regent houses (go-sekke), whose members held the highest offices of state, including those of sessh? (regent for a minor emperor) and kampaku (regent for a full-grown emperor). Their name derives from Ichij? Street in Kyoto, where their main residence was located. During the Edo period, the Ichij? maintained their status as high nobility (kuge), allied with imperial circles and families of scholars and courtiers. Their emblem, the Ichimonji maru, remains one of the most instantly recognizable symbols of the Japanese aristocracy.

The collection presented here, with its remarkable stylistic coherence and exceptional craftsmanship, testifies to the refinement of lacquerware at the end of the Edo period and to the survival, in material culture, of symbolic codes inherited from the imperial court.

Historical Note

The game of kai-awase is mentioned several times in classical Japanese literature, notably in the Tale of Genji (11th century), where it appears as an entertainment reserved for the ladies of the court. In the chapter Hana no en (“The Flower Festival”), the painted shells become a metaphor for the bonds of destiny and harmonious unions. This game, the epitome of Heian culture, illustrates the Japanese concept of harmony: two halves that, once joined, become a perfect whole.