Box jūbako
A Jūbako 重箱 or multi-layered, collapsible, lacquered box, traditionally used for storing and serving food on special occasions such as the Cherry Blossom Festival hanami 花 and the New Year shōgatsu 正月.They are usually square in shape, but there are also round, hexagonal and octagonal ones, while several kinds of cold dishes can be stored in smaller quantities in a single drawer, thanks to a movable wooden frame which separated it into four or more squares. Jūbako were also made of white and blue porcelain as well as wood, but these were not so popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Today, boxes with two to three drawers are the most common. We encounter them especially at New Year celebrations as containers for storing and serving the traditional New Year dish osechi-ryōri お節料理, which consists of various miniature bowls with a symbolic meaning, linked either with the name of the food in Japanese or ... more
A Jūbako 重箱 or multi-layered, collapsible, lacquered box, traditionally used for storing and serving food on special occasions such as the Cherry Blossom Festival hanami 花 and the New Year shōgatsu 正月.They are usually square in shape, but there are also round, hexagonal and octagonal ones, while several kinds of cold dishes can be stored in smaller quantities in a single drawer, thanks to a movable wooden frame which separated it into four or more squares. Jūbako were also made of white and blue porcelain as well as wood, but these were not so popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Today, boxes with two to three drawers are the most common. We encounter them especially at New Year celebrations as containers for storing and serving the traditional New Year dish osechi-ryōri お節料理, which consists of various miniature bowls with a symbolic meaning, linked either with the name of the food in Japanese or with its appearance or other characteristics. Now that containers made of new materials such as polypropylene have become widespread, the use of wooden and lacquered jūbako boxes is declining.
Literary records show that the use of the jūbako has a long history, going back as early as the Muromachi period (1333–1336). In the Edo period (1603–1868), the jūbako began to be produced commercially and it became popular with the general public. High-quality and ornately designed boxes covered with urushi 漆 lacquer or decorated in the maki-e 蒔 絵 technique were intended for samurai and feudal lords. They also used portable jūbako boxes, which were practical for hunting and similar purposes.
This jūbako is a square box with four drawers, four open stackable containers, and a flat lid. A four-drawer box is considered the most formal, as each level is symbolic of one of the seasons. Being slightly larger than those normally used, this box was probably intended for a larger number of people, but it cannot be ruled out that it was used in a temple or in other religious ceremonies.
The outer sides carry a motif of crawler plants (cloud-like leaves), bamboo leaves (elongated leaves) and cherry blossoms. The latter symbolise spring, vitality, beauty, and transience, as they bloom only 14 days a year, as well as the hope that they will bloom again the next year. In Japanese culture, bamboo symbolises success and permanence, as it is resistant to earthquakes, which are very common in Japan. The crawlers symbolise eternity, family, or the family tree. The motifs are depicted using the traditional technique of applying gold dust to an undried lacquered surface, i.e., the hira maki-e technique. The central part of the motif consists of golden bamboo leaves, on which are light golden stems with blue cherry blossoms. Crawlers with dark and light leaves surround the central design. Note also the contrast or combination of urushi lacquer with black dye on the outside and em>urushi lacquer with red dye on the inside. (KH, MJ)+AB9
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