Japan, Rare Pair of Hokai lacquered wood boxes, Edo period, dated Bunsei 12, 1829.
Hokai boxes are traditionally used in Japan to hold and transport shells for the game of Kai-awase but are also used as picnic boxes.
The shell game (kai-awase) dates back to the Heian period (9th–12th centuries) and involves matching pairs of shells. The insides of the shells, traditionally clams, are painted or engraved with verses, and the challenge is to find the two parts that form a complete theme or poem.
This game goes beyond mere entertainment to take on profound symbolic meaning. In addition to stimulating the mind and memory, it is laden with spiritual and aesthetic connotations, inviting participants to meditatively contemplate the harmony and duality in the universe. As a result, this type of box was often a precious wedding gift.
These boxes are always arranged in pairs, in accordance with the nature of the game which consists of finding the corresponding halves of the shells.
Each box is made of wood with horizontal fluting and a slightly domed lid. They are supported by four slightly flared feet and decorated with brass fittings. They have their original ropes and transport boxes.
These hokai boxes feature rare trompe-l'oeil decorations where superimposed sheets of paper reveal motifs of legendary characters emerging from their shadows, made in polychrome lacquer on a black background.
Trompe-l'oeil and the graphic use of shadow as a decorative motif, present in Japanese art from the Edo period, would fascinate European artists of the late 19th century, particularly in the Japonism and Art Nouveau movements.
Figures such as Toulouse Lautrec, Henri Rivière and the shadow theatre of the Chat Noir in Paris, or Steinlen, were deeply influenced by the Japanese aesthetic discovered through Japanese prints and other objects collected in Parisian intellectual circles at the end of the 19th century.
Shadow puppets, with their subtle play of light and dark, fueled the imagination of these artists, contributing to the evolution of art forms in Europe at that time.
Beyond their aesthetic and historical value, these Hokai boxes and their exceptional decoration embody a fascinating bridge between cultures, testifying to the dynamic exchange of ideas and artistic influences between East and West during the 19th century.

The dimensions of the Hokai boxes are 47.5 cm x 47.5 at the feet. Height 43 cm.
They have retained their original protective boxes. These storage boxes show some wear and defects. They bear the handwritten date Bunsei 12, i.e., 1829.
Good overall condition, minor scratches from use and small cracks on the bottom. No structural defects, no restoration.