Brush Holder with Landscape

This is one of a pair of brush holders made between the late 19th and early 20th centuries during the Meiji Era (1868–1912). At this time, Japan was opening itself up to the West and beginning to modernize, fast. This holder bears its creator's signature: Hōyu. It comprises a wooden base and ivory body with the elephant tusk for storing brushes. It also has a simple lacquer decoration. The base has its own wave and maple leaf motifs. The body depicts two landscape scenes: a view of Mount Fuji with, in the foreground, the trunk of a maple tree and its branches on one side, and a seaside panorama with fishermen, birds, and pine trees on the other. These pieces were usually made for export to and for use in the West.