Portable container (inrō) with desigh of mice and radish. Lacquer and gold lacquer on wood. Drawbead (ojime) shaped like a chestnut with a ladybird (not visible). Copper. Inrō signed Koma Kansai. The décor of the portable container could be taken literally: three mice wearing jackets and pulling a radish. Another interpretation makes the mouse represent a God of Fortune, Daikoku, who was always attended by mice or rats. They take care of his rice bales (wealth). The radish belongs to the "seven plants of spring". In esoteric Buddhism it figures as a fertility symbol. On the box we also see one of the seven plats of autumn, hagi flowers, adorning an article of furniture. Portabel containers and other small applied art objects are often invested with a wealth of symbolism. (Japan. Föremål och bilder, s. 142)