Lacquered Leather Box

漆皮箱

At a glance — Art Object · Nara period, 8th century · held by Tokyo National Museum · designated Important Cultural Property of Japan.

Fact Sheet

Designation: Important Cultural Property (重要文化財)
Category: Art Objects
Period: Nara period, 8th century
Date: 701–800
Held by: Tokyo National Museum
Location: Ueno, Tokyo
Catalogue ID: cobas-117739

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Same period: Nara art objects →
At this museum: All 1632 works here →

The lid for this box is larger than the base and fits completely over it. It was crafted with animal hide pressed over a wooden mold to form the shape of a box, lined with hemp cloth, and finished with successive layers of lacquer. While this kind of lacquered leather box was widely used during the Nara period (710–794), its tendency to lose shape led to its gradual decline from the Heian period (794–1185) onward.

— Museum description: Tokyo National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.

Record & Sources

Designation: Important Cultural Property (重要文化財), Government of Japan
Catalogue ID: cobas-117739 (permanent)
Official record: Japan Search — jpsearch.go.jp/item/cobas-117739
Holder's collection: ColBase — Tokyo National Museum
Photograph: Tokyo National Museum, via ColBase — CC BY 4.0. CC BY 4.0 licence

Cite this page: “Lacquered Leather Box（漆皮箱）.” Treasures of Japan, catalogue no. cobas-117739. Tokyo National Museum. https://treasures.yamato-kenkou.com/treasures/lacquered-leather-box/ — entry last verified 1 November 2026.

Full record data (as published in the official catalogue record)