Bird and peony color painting curved bowl

This is a cypress bentwork (inro-buta) lid. The body is made of thin cypress boards, bent with fine knife marks on the inside, fastened with hoops, and then wrapped in a thin board and secured with cherry bark. It is a Heian-period work that uses no nails or glue, and conveys ancient bentwork techniques seen as far back as the Shosoin treasures. Two long-tailed birds are painted directly onto the wood on the lid, while peonies and sparrows are painted onto the body, with oil applied over the painted surface. While difficult to see with the naked eye today, infrared photographs clearly reveal the skilled brushwork of the painting, exuding an elegant charm. Older examples of painted wooden containers include the so-called animal-related boxes in the Shosoin treasures, but all are joinery-style. This chest is arguably the oldest remaining example of a perfectly painted bentwork. This item was handed down from Kyoogokoku-ji Temple (Toji Temple) in Kyoto, and is said to be the one described as having a "wooden tube" in the temple records (see Plate 218).