tebako　手箱

KEY WORD :　art history / crafts

Literally "hand box." Introduced from China as a comb box before the Heian period, they were popular with court women through the Muromachi period. The earliest boxes usually had a fitted inner tray with three small containers for cosmetics, writing materials *suzuribako 硯箱; and incense *kougou 香合. Eventually the writing box evolved as a separate unit and was subsequently replaced by numerous receptacles. By the late 11c, the six most common boxes stored within the tebako were two small rectangular boxes for tooth black; a square box for cosmetics such as white face powder; a large round box for a mirror kagamibako 鏡箱; and two small, round boxes for incense. Through the Muromachi period, tebako had two main types of lids: kabusebuta-zukuri 被蓋造 (over lapping lid style); and aikuchi-zukuri 合口造 (flush mouth style). When daimyou choudo 大名調度 (appliances for daimyou) became popular, tebako styles, included the juuni tebako 十二手箱 (twelve-layered type) and sumiaka tebako 角赤手箱 (red corner type).

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