A Japanese Tortoiseshell box highly decorated with takamaki-e and hiramaki-e lacquer, depicting a samurai fighting a mythical bird on the lid, and typical Japanese landscapes to the sides. Circa: 1870 The interior is also decorated with gold flowers. Takamaki-e means, Raised maki-e. This is a technique for creating raised details by applying layers of metal powder mixed with lacquer and charcoal or clay dust. Hiramaki-e is a low relief gold decoration. The pattern is outlined on a piece of paper using ink, then traced on the reverse of the paper using wet lacquer. Once pressed onto the box the paper is removed and the wet lacquer is dusted with gold powder. Fine powder is applied using bambo tubes and soft brushes of varying sizes. A highly skilled process which would take years of training. Important information below. If you are purchasing Tortoiseshell or Ivory pieces and are outside the E.U. you must have a CITES certificate in order to import the item into your country. We can obtain these on your behalf at a cost of £50 and these can take up to 14 working days to arrive at our office . Due to the strict exporting rules of these pieces, they may also come with further shipping costs. Please ensure you contact us prior to purchase for a quote. Height: 10.1cm Width: 16.5cm Depth: 22.8cm Shipping Cost: United Kingdom £25 Europe £65 International £85