Mother-of-pearl Sewing Box

Banjitgori is a sewing box used for storing various sewing tools. All sewing tools were stored and carried in this box, which was placed on top of the closet when not being used. The materials and shapes used for the sewing box varied. Those made of paper or willow branches mostly had a lid. A wooden banjitgori, usually made of paulownia wood, jujube wood or maple, featured a motif of flowers and birds or the Ten Longevity Symbols, either carved and painted or inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Some wooden boxes were decorated with ox horn, painted red and polished to suit women’s tastes. Most wooden boxes did not have a lid, but had a partition at one side as a separate space for needles, buttons, and other small objects. Banjitgori inlaid with mother-of-pearl generally featured designs of fecundity and longevity. The banjitgori shown here has a cubical body without a cover, with the entire body lacquered in black except the bottom part, which is finished in yellowish red lacquer. The sewing box was made by setting up four side panels on a large wooden board and fixing wider wooden bars on top of the side panels to make the edges. The four-legged bottom was finely carved from the edge. Inside the box, there is a compartment divided into two sections, one with a hinged lid and the other serving as a drawer. Each side panel was inlaid with mother-of-pearl designs of bamboo and cranes, flowers and birds, bamboo leaves, and peonies. The side of the edges was embellished with a sawtooth pattern, while the upper part of the edges was adorned with a dotted pattern. The modified inscription of "壽," meaning longevity, was inlaid with mother-of-pearl at the center of the inside bottom part, while "壽富多男," meaning longevity, wealth, and having many sons, was inlaid with mother-of-pearl on top of the compartment.