Set of Twelve Incense Containers

In this unique project, Suzuki Hyosaku I (1874–1943), a leading lacquer artist, collaborated with twelve lacquer decorators to create a set of twelve incense containers (kogo). Suzuki applied base lacquer on twelve incense containers and then asked fellow artists to decorate them. Each artist chose a motif to symbolize a specific month of the year. For example, the container for January simulates a toy ball called temari, which was made from a cotton core wrapped decoratively with silk thread. Historically, girls played with these balls on New Year’s Day. Another container, for the month of June, bears the depiction of the thunder god, who represents the early summer storms during the rainy season. He is encircled by a ring of drums that he beats to create thunder. Some of the containers, such as the one for September, are decorated not only on the outside but also inside. The month of September is traditionally associated with a beautiful full moon in the clear autumn sky. The artist did not include the moon on the container; instead, he applied a wave motif on the exterior and playfully hid two lunar hares inside. Japanese folklore mentions ahare living on the full moon. Here the combination of waves and hares derives from the noh play Chikubushima, which describes the moonlight reflected on water as “waves above which hares fly.” From this, hares frolicking over waves became a symbol of the beautiful moonlight. When the lid of this container is opened, the combination reminds us of the harvest moon.
The division of labor in this project and other lacquerwares between those who applied the base lacquer and the decoration has been common for centuries in Japan. In this case, all the artists were from the Kyoto area and were closely associated with Suzuki. Some were brothers of each other, some were teachers and their students, and others were related through marriage. Kyoto has long been a prestigious
center of lacquer production. These twelve incense containers represent the highest technical and aesthetic achievement in Japanese lacquer.