Black lacquer kyōdai decorated with the kamon Maru ni Daki Myōga on a background of clematis – Japan, Edo period, second half of the 18th century

This kyōdai (鏡台), a complete women's vanity unit, is a remarkable example of Edo period ceremonial furniture. The set includes a cubic cabinet with drawers, a polished metal mirror simply placed on the stand, a compartmentalized makeup box, a small container, and two original brushes, exceptionally preserved since the 18th century.

The mirror, whose silver surface served to reflect light as much as the image of the face, evokes the refined customs of Japanese aristocratic homes. In the Tale of Genji (源氏物語), the mirror symbolizes the permanence of memory and attachment beyond separation. In the chapter "Exile to Suma," Genji confides to Murasaki:

みはかくて

さすらへぬとも

君があたり

さらぬ鏡の

かげははなれじ

Mi wa kakute

Sasuraenu to me

Kimi ga atari

Saranu kagami no

Kage wa hanareji

“So my body wanders, but in your mirror,

My image will not leave you.

The cabinet is decorated in black urushi lacquer with gold and silver maki-e decoration, with brass fittings and knobs. The Maru ni Daki Myōga (丸に抱き茗荷) kamon—emblems of the Inagaki family, daimyō of Mikawa Province and vassals of the Tokugawa shogunate—are scattered across all sides of the cabinet, among a network of climbing clematis (tessen, 鉄線). The large star-shaped flowers and slender stems of this tessen-karakusa motif reflect the virtuosity of the lacquer workshops of the second half of the 18th century.

Commissioned for a wedding trousseau (yomeiri dōgu), this kyōdai illustrates the practice of marking each item of wedding furniture with the family crest, a sign of rank and lineage identity. The combination of the Inagaki kamon and the plant decoration testifies to the daimyō's taste for motifs combining prestige and ornamental refinement.

The general condition is good, with traces of use and oxidation consistent with its age.

Furniture dimensions: total height 67 cm; width 27.8 cm; depth 27.5 cm.