華籠けこ

  • 室町時代
  • 14-16c
  • 竹製漆塗
  • H-4.4 D-27
  • 所蔵
    伝般若寺伝来
解説(春の玉手箱)

 貴人を迎えるのに花を以ってするインドの風習が仏教に取り入れられ、法会で如来を招請する際などに、何人かの僧が花を撒く。華籠とはその散華を入れる器で、生花もしくは紙製の花びらを盛るが、竹製の他に紙胎製や青銅鍍金製のものなどがある。
 この作品は、内面を籠目、外面を花形とする二重編みで、竹には漆を塗る。縁は細竹に切り目を入れ、二重編みの端を入れて布を掛け、漆で固めてある。花形の竹の編み方は、法隆寺宝蔵殿に残るものに比較的近い。手取りはたいそう軽く、しなやかな線が時を経てやや目をこぼちながらも、底面の漆はなお艶やかである。

Catalogue Entry

Inheriting the Indian tradition of greeting aristocratic guests with flowers, flowers are scattered by several monks to welcome the Buddha to Buddhist rituals. Flower baskets were used on these occasions to hold either live flowers or flower petals cut from paper. These baskets can be bamboo baskets, as here, or paper mache or gilt bronze in structure.

This work is woven in two layers with a basket weave pattern on the inside and a flower shaped weave on the exterior. The bamboo has then been coated with lacquer. The edge is woven with thin bamboo strips and cloth is worked into the edges of the two weaves, where it is then firmed with lacquer. The flower‐shaped bamboo weave is relatively close to that found on works remaining in the Hozoden of Horyouji temple.

The basket is light and the viewer delights in the flowing lines of its weave. The base coat of lacquer is particularly glossy in tone.