virtual-artifacts:Incense Box (Kōbako) with Scene from “His Perfumed Highness” (Niou no Miya), chapt
virtual-artifacts:Incense Box (Kōbako) with Scene from “His Perfumed Highness” (Niou no Miya), chapter 42 of the Tale of GenjiPeriod: Edo period (1615–1868)Date: 19th centuryCulture: JapanMedium: Gold maki-e on lacquered woodDimensions: H. 2 in. (5.1 cm W. 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm L. 5 1/8 in. (13 cm)A poem voiced by the troubled man, and written above him within stylized clouds, reads: Obotsukana tare ni towamashi Ikanishite hajimemo hatemo shiranu wagami zo (Whom might I ask? Why must it be that I do not know the beginning or the end?) -- source link