Description
Known as an “Obento-Bako” (meaning lunch box in Japanese), this was at one time, one of the most important travel tools. This basket would have carried one’s lunch, consisting of cold rice, fish, pickles or vegetables, which were stored in the various nested sections of the pewter container inside. The outer compartment, consists of a woven polychrome bamboo basket, edged with flat speckled bamboo strips. The interior of the basket lined with a beautiful of the period ajisai pattern fabric. The curved form of the basket lid is shaped to meet the nested pewter boxes, which are held together by a handwoven cotton strip (original strip is missing but can be replaced upon request). Bronze hinges & clasps (missing pin) and metal handles (missing handle on one side) are typically attached to both ends with a cotton string for carrying. This basket and its inner compartment have both developed a beautiful patina over the years.
Note that most of the similar baskets presented online are often Meiji or later period as opposed to the earlier Edo period.
A very similar bento box has been published in the book “The Beauty of Japanese Folk Art” by William Jay Rathbun.
Size: 19 x 12 x 8