Vintage Large Japanese Hand-Carved Miyajima-bori Round Box with Cover Depicting the Shinto Shrine on the Island of Itsukushima, Signed

A finely carved box and cover out of Japanese Cherry Birch, depicting the torii, or gate, and entrance to the shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima, Japan. Carving is traditional to the area near the shrine - Miyajima - and is referred to as Miyajima bori.

The box is beautifully turned to bring out the best of the cherry birch grain. The edges are carved with a geometric band and the top carved with the shrine set in a landscape with a pine tree. All parts of the bowl and cover have been repeat sanded to attain a highly smooth finish. The box shows sign of age: there are two shrinkage cracks to the edge of the cover, but this does not detract from the quality of the carving.

Miyajima Island, one of the Three Views of Japan, has long been nicknamed the “Island of Gods”. It is known for its rice paddle production after the technique of wood turning was brought to Miyajima around 1850 for souvenirs for pilgrims to the Itsukushima shrine. At the end of the Edo Era, Haki Ishosai, a sculptor from Koshu, brought the technique of wooden carving to Miyajima, where it became a noted product of the island during the Meiji period. Miyajima-bori was recognized as a traditional craft in 1982.