A Cosmetic Box from the Age of the Samurai
The Ume Maki-e Tebako, or Plum Maki-e Cosmetic Box, measures just 34.5 centimeters across, yet it carries the full weight of a National Treasure designation. Made in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) and owned by Mishima Taisha shrine in Shizuoka Prefecture, this lacquered box has been linked by tradition to one of the most formidable women in Japanese history: Hojo Masako, wife of Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate.
The attribution rests on shrine tradition rather than documentary proof, so the box is described as a votive offering "said to have been donated" by Masako. What needs no qualification is the object itself. Its surface shimmers with ikakeji, a technique in which gold powder is sprinkled so densely over wet lacquer that the ground reads as solid metal. Across this golden field, an aged plum tree spreads its branches beside a curtained screen while wild geese fly in formation overhead.
Open the lid and the refinement continues. The underside and the two removable inner trays are finished in nashiji, a pear-skin sprinkling of finer gold, depicting a quiet pond-side scene.
A Poem Hidden in Silver
Look closely at the lid and you will find six Chinese characters scattered among the plum blossoms and geese, each cut from thin silver plate and inlaid into the lacquer: ei, den, kin, cho, gan, gyo. They are not decoration alone. The characters are lifted from a poem by Bai Juyi, the Tang-dynasty poet whose verses were devoured by the Japanese court, celebrating the joy of rising through the official ranks together with a friend.
This device, in which fragments of text hide within a painted scene and invite the viewer to reconstruct the poem, is called ashide, sometimes rendered as "reed script." The Ume Maki-e Tebako is prized as one of the earliest surviving examples of the technique. A literate courtier of the thirteenth century would have read the lid the way we might catch a quotation woven into a film score: a private pleasure for those who knew the source.
For the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the box also marks a technical summit. Its decoration combines togidashi (burnished) maki-e, tsukegaki fine-line drawing, and takamaki-e relief work, deploying a wider range of gold powders than earlier Kamakura lacquer. Scholars point to it as evidence that the three fundamental maki-e techniques had reached maturity by this date.
The Oldest Complete Vanity Set in Japan
What separates this tebako from other masterworks of Japanese lacquer is what survives inside it. The box retains an almost complete set of cosmetic implements: a white bronze mirror, a maki-e mirror box, boxes for tooth-blackening dye and face powder, incense containers, eighteen mother-of-pearl inlaid combs, a silver-handled rouge brush, silver scissors, tweezers, and hairpins. Each accessory is decorated in the same style as the box that holds it, and all are included in the National Treasure designation.
No older Japanese cosmetic box has come down to us with its contents so nearly intact. For historians of dress and daily life, the set is a rare window into how an aristocratic woman of the Kamakura period actually prepared her appearance, from blackened teeth to powdered skin.
The Japanese government recognized its importance early, designating it an Important Cultural Property in 1900 and elevating it to National Treasure status on November 22, 1952.
Seeing the Box Today
Here is the practical reality every visitor should know before planning a trip: the original Ume Maki-e Tebako is on deposit at the Tokyo National Museum and goes on public display only once every few years, for conservation reasons. Mishima Taisha announces upcoming showings on its website, and the museum occasionally exhibits the piece in Tokyo.
The shrine's Treasure Hall offers a compelling alternative. On permanent display is a full reconstruction of the box and its contents, completed over three and a half years by a team of eighteen researchers, traditional craft artists, and artisans who revived the original materials and techniques. A documentary video in the gallery follows the painstaking process. Because the reconstruction shows the gold at its original brilliance, some visitors find it conveys the box's first impression more vividly than the aged original could.
The Treasure Hall stands inside the shrine grounds, to the right after you pass through the main gate. The second-floor exhibition room charges a modest admission fee; the first floor, with its museum shop and rest space, is free. Photography is not permitted in the exhibition room.
Around Mishima Taisha
Mishima Taisha itself rewards a slow visit. As the ichinomiya, or highest-ranked shrine, of the former Izu Province, it is where Minamoto no Yoritomo prayed before raising his army against the Taira clan in 1180, a connection that draws history enthusiasts retracing the founding of the Kamakura shogunate. The present main sanctuary complex, built in 1866, is an Important Cultural Property in its own right, and the ancient osmanthus tree in the grounds, said to be around 1,200 years old, is a National Natural Monument that perfumes the air each autumn.
Spring brings cherry blossoms along the approach and around the shrine pond. A small deer park sits within the grounds, and the teahouse by the great torii sells fukutaro mochi, the shrine's signature sweet wrapped in yomogi-flavored rice cake.
Access is straightforward. From JR Mishima Station, served by the Tokaido Shinkansen, the shrine is about a fifteen-minute walk south along a path lined with literary monuments and clear spring-fed streams. From Mishima-Tamachi Station on the Izuhakone Railway, the walk takes about seven minutes. Mishima also makes a convenient gateway to the Izu Peninsula and the Hakone area, so the Treasure Hall pairs naturally with a longer journey through the region.
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Q&A
- Can I see the original Ume Maki-e Tebako at Mishima Taisha?
- Usually not. The original is on deposit at the Tokyo National Museum and is exhibited only once every few years for conservation reasons. The shrine's Treasure Hall displays a meticulous full reconstruction year-round, along with a video documenting how it was made.
- Did Hojo Masako really donate the box?
- The donation is a shrine tradition rather than a documented fact, so it is described as "attributed." The box's date and supreme quality are consistent with a patron of her standing, which is why the tradition has endured.
- What does "maki-e" mean?
- Maki-e, literally "sprinkled picture," is a Japanese lacquer technique in which gold or silver powder is sprinkled onto wet lacquer to form designs. This box combines its three fundamental forms: flat, burnished, and raised maki-e.
- How much time should I allow for the Treasure Hall?
- Around thirty to forty minutes covers the reconstruction, the documentary video, and the other shrine treasures on display. Combined with the shrine grounds, plan on roughly two hours.
- Is photography allowed?
- Photography is prohibited inside the second-floor exhibition room of the Treasure Hall. The shrine grounds, including the main sanctuary and the giant osmanthus tree, may be photographed freely.
Basic Information
| Name | Ume Maki-e Tebako (Plum Maki-e Cosmetic Box) |
|---|---|
| Designation | National Treasure (craft work); designated Important Cultural Property in 1900, National Treasure on November 22, 1952 |
| Period | Kamakura period (1185–1333) |
| Dimensions | H 19.7 cm, W 34.5 cm, D 25.8 cm |
| Quantity | 1 set, including cosmetic implements (mirror, combs, boxes, and other accessories) |
| Owner | Mishima Taisha, 2-1-5 Omiyacho, Mishima City, Shizuoka Prefecture |
| Current location | Original on deposit at the Tokyo National Museum (exhibited only occasionally); full reconstruction on permanent display at the Mishima Taisha Treasure Hall |
| Treasure Hall hours | 9:00–16:30 (last entry 16:00); admission charged for the second-floor exhibition room |
| Access | About 15 minutes on foot from JR Mishima Station (Tokaido Shinkansen); about 7 minutes from Mishima-Tamachi Station (Izuhakone Railway) |
References
- 国指定文化財等データベース「梅蒔絵手箱」（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/201/369
- 三嶋大社「梅蒔絵手箱」
- https://www.mishimataisha.or.jp/important_/%E6%A2%85%E8%92%94%E7%B5%B5%E6%89%8B%E7%AE%B1
- 三嶋大社宝物館
- https://www.mishimataisha.or.jp/treasure
- 三島市観光Web「三嶋大社」
- https://www.mishima-kankou.com/spot/1605/
Last verified: 2026.06.10