Aninro (印籠,Inrō;lit. "stamp case") is a traditional Japanese case for holding small objects, suspended from theobi (sash) worn around the waist when wearing akimono. They are often highly decorated with various materials such aslacquer and various techniques such asmaki-e, and are more decorative than otherJapanese lacquerware.[1][2]
Because traditional Japanese dress lacked pockets, objects were often carried by hanging them from theobi in containers known assagemono (a hanging object attached to a sash). Mostsagemono were created for specialized contents, such as tobacco, pipes, writing brush and ink, but the type known asinro is suitable for carrying small things, and was created in theSengoku period (1467–1615) as a portableidentity seal and medicine container for travel.[1][2]
In the middle of theEdo period (1603–1868),inro became popular as men's accessories, and wealthy merchants of thechōnin andsamurai classes collectedinro often beautifully decorated with lacquer. As the technique developed from the late Edo period to theMeiji period (1868–1912) and the artistic value ofinro increased,inro were no longer used as an accessory and came to be regarded as an art object for collection.[1][2]
The terminro is a combination of thekanji forin (印), which means aseal or stamp, and the kanji forrō (籠), which means a basket.
Consisting of a stack of tiny, nested boxes,inro were most commonly used to carry medicine. The stack of boxes is held together by a cord that is laced through cord runners down one side, under the bottom, and up the opposite side. The ends of the cord are secured to anetsuke, a kind of toggle that is passed between the sash and pants and then hooked over the top of the sash to suspend theinro. Anojime bead is provided on the cords between theinro andnetsuke to hold the boxes together. This bead is slid down the two suspension cords to the top of theinro to hold the stack together while theinro is worn, and slid up to thenetsuke when the boxes need to be unstacked to access their contents.
Inro are mostly made from paper, wood, metal, or ivory, with the most common material being paper. Paperinro are made by winding and hardening many layers ofwashi paper with lacquer; paper was a popular material forinro as unlike wood, it would not distort and crack over time.[1][2]
Inro are commonly decorated with lacquered designs, with the expensively producedinro featuringmaki-e,raden, ivory inlay and metal foiling. Thoughojime andnetsuke evolved out of a mostly decorative capacity,inro retained their functionality, having evolved from strictly utilitarian articles into objects of high art and immense craftsmanship.[1][2]
For a period of time in the Edo period,inro was also used as a symbol of power. Today, amongsumo referees (gyōji), onlygyōji of the higher ranks are allowed to equipinro.[3]
Today, manyinro are collected in theMetropolitan Museum of Art,the British Museum, and theVictoria and Albert Museum. Becauseinro were popular among foreign collectors, there were few of the highest qualityinro made from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period in Japan, but Masayuki Murata actively collected them from the 21st century, and today theKiyomizu Sannenzaka Museum,[4] which he manages, houses many of the highest qualityinro.[2]
Today,inro are made by a few craftsmen. The best lacquer technique from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period, especially theinro technique, was almost lost in the westernization of Japanese lifestyle. However, in 1985 lacquer craftsman Tatsuo Kitamura (北村辰夫) set up his own studio "Unryuan" (雲龍庵) and succeeded in recreating them. His lacquer works are collected in the Victoria and Albert Museum and the21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and are an object of collection for the world's wealthy.[5][6][7][8] Nowadays,inro are rarely worn as kimono accessories, but there are collectors all over the world.[2]
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