Red lacquer incense case with carving design of guri

In the manner of the tea ceremony, lacquer incense cases are used during the furo (brazier) season from May to October, for storing one centimeter-square chips of fragrant woods.
This round-shaped incense case with a flat lid has a spiral design called “guri”, which consists of combining arabesque patterns. This design is created by a lacquer carving technique that is alternately applied with eight layers of black and red lacquer, the surface of which is carved to create the powerful spiral pattern. The elaborate layers of black and red can be seen along the carved lines, which is one of the aesthetic points of this piece.