Japanese Inro

This book draws extensively on the Victoria & Albert Museum's collection of inro, one of the finest and most comprehensive in the world. Traditional Japanese dress did not include pockets. One of the most highly decorative pocket substitutes was the inro. Worn exclusively by men, inro were suspended from a sash by netsuke. The inro became an object of high fashion and is now prized by collectors. Profusely illustrated throughout, this book looks at the diverse origins of the inro and follows its development through to the twentieth century. It also covers the inro's construction, techniques, and materials used, and the craftsmen who made them. Photographs and transcripts of craftmen's signatures provide a useful reference for dealers and collectors. The author's original research reveals the sources of many inro designs, including paintings, ukiyo-e prints, and especially woodblock printed books. Precise dating of inro and the methods which may be used to obtain an approximate date are also discussed. Japanese Inro incorporates the very latest research and is the most comprehensive book on the subject to date. This is an excellent book for specialists, as well as anyone interested in Japanese art.