Kanshitsu body made from cloth reinforced with lacquer; gold and aokin togidashi maki-e, red lacquer, and gold foil inlay on a polished black-lacquer ground, the design continuing down the sides and onto the base; the interior surfaces gold nashiji

Signed inside with gold maki-e characters Yoshio tsukuru (Made by Yoshio)

With fitted kiri-wood tomobako storage box inscribed Tenshō maki-e kanshitsu-bako Kōka sekiei (Kanshitsu box with sprinkled design of celestial phenomena, “Crimson Clouds, Evening Sunlight”), signed Yoshio tsukuru (Made by Yoshio) and sealed Yoshio

Like the other boxes from the Tenshō (Celestial Phenomena) series, this piece was constructed using the ancient East Asian lacquer technique known as kanshitsu, conventionally translated “dry lacquer,” in which hemp cloth is combined with layers of natural lacquer sap. Because the fabric remains soft and pliable for a time before the lacquer hardens, Okada can give his boxes a unique profile—mimicking the apparent curve of the heavens—that forms the perfect setting for glittering celestial decoration.