High-quality works of lacquer suitable for collectors and representative of Japan have been chosen to appear in this category. The beauty of Japanese works of lacquer lies in the techniques involved in the making process: Japanese people's superior woodcraft skills are utilized to make the main body; the molding is then carefully selected; much time and effort put into the undercoat that is invisible to the eye; and techniques such as "makie" lacquering, "kanagai" overlaying, mother-of-pearl insertion and carving-lacquering are employed in the finish. Furthermore, each work of art is a manifestation of Japanese people's diligence, and encapsulates the huge amount of time required in the making process, the maker's experience, and the skill and focused effort that he has poured into the work in complete silence. A decrease in the number of craftsmen nowadays means that works of art are less likely to be made in the future and those that do exist are limited in number. Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the high-quality works of art that appear here will become a legacy to the world of handicrafts. artist : EISAI, SHOTATU age : last 18th century size : H 8.7 x W 5 x D 2.7 (cm) size : H 3 1/2" x W 2" x D 1" (inch) box : Wooden box   artist : SHOSAI age : early 19th century size : H 8.3 x H 5.2 x D 2.7(cm) size : H 3 1/4" x H 2" x D 1" (inch) box : Wooden box   artist : UESHIMA, KOHA age : early 20th century�iTaisho period�j size : H 29.5 x W 24.5 x D 15.5(cm) size : H 11 1/2" x W 9 3/4" x D 6" (inch) box : Original wooden box w/signature