The Importance of Storage Boxes (Kiribako) and Box Writing (Hakogaki) in Viewing Stone Appreciation
Guide to the Care, Storage and Documenting of Stones
By Thomas S. Elias and Hiromi Nakaoji, June, 2020
The use of storage boxes and associated records is one of the more essential aspects of stone appreciationThe use of storage boxes and associated records is one of the more essential aspects of stone appreciation, yet it is also one of the most overlooked aspects. Collectors may spend weeks, months, or even years before finding an exceptional viewing stone. Others may spend a considerable amount of money to purchase an older stone from an earlier collection or buy an excellent stone from a collector or stone dealer. Regardless of how a viewing stone was acquired, those of exhibit quality should be stored appropriately with accompanying documentation. The purposes of storage boxes are to safely store stones when not on display, prevent damage, help document their provenance, and preserve them for future generations. The Japanese method of using wood storage boxes is superior to other methods that use heavy paper or cardboard boxes.
In Japan, works of art (calligraphy, paintings, scrolls, kimonos, ceramics, wood carvings, books, and other objects) were stored in wood boxes for safekeeping when not on display. Storage boxes made of Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) were widely used before the Edo period and until the mid-Edo. Around that time, lightweight but durable wood from the Princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa) came into more frequent use for storage of goods made from silk as oils in this wood repel silkworm moths and prevent them from laying eggs on silk fabrics. The Paulownia boxes, known in Japan as kiribako, have been widely used in contemporary times for the storage of various art objects. Japanese stone collectors adopted kiribako for use in storing Japanese suiskei. Newly-made Paulownia
boxes are light in color but slowly darken in color with age. Occasionally, prized older stones found in lacquered boxes are known, but these are rare.
This is a basic Japanese Paulownia storage box for a stone. Note the sliding shelf on the inside of the storage box.
Paulownia wood is easy to work and makes quality storage boxes. But other comparable woods are also suitable for making these boxes. Storage boxes are typically custom-made to fit the dimensions of the stone and its base. The stone and its base should fit snugly inside the box to avoid movement. Using a square cloth to wrap tightly around the rock and base helps prevent it from shifting inside the box. Sometimes, it is best to separate the stone from its base and to include both within the storage box. This way, the carved wood base is less likely to be chipped or damaged.
This is a Meiji era lacquer storage box for an antique mountain-shaped Kamo River stone.
A few viewing stone connoisseurs gave their stone a unique number and included that number on a seal on the bottom of the storage box. An identical numbered record also was placed on the bottom of the carved wood base. Mr. Sugii Chuji, a modern collector of Japanese stones and former owner of this Kamo River stone, used this method. He also used a seal with his crest along with a numbered record. This form of record-keeping helped Sugii to organize and manage his sizable collection of stones. These seals help document this Meiji era Kamo River stone.
This Sugi seal and number found on the bottom of the storage box for the Meiji era stone (left). Another identical seal and records number is present on the bottom of the hand-carved base (daiza) (right) for the Kamo River mountain-shaped stone.
Superior storage boxes usually have an unattached piece of wood in the bottom that conveniently slides in and out to facilitate placement or removal of the stone. The craftsmanship invested in the making of a storage box is an indication of the degree to which the owner values the stone. Small often unnoticed details like the methods of attaching pieces using small dowels, tongue and grove, and just glue are good indicators. An exceptional storage box should reflect the beauty and the quality of the stone it contains. The name and seal of the craftsman who made the box should not be included on the front or back of the sliding panel to open the box. At best, this information should be on the backside or bottom of the box.
On rare occasions, a storage box will have an additional, narrow sliding drawer on the inside bottom, for a highly esteemed stone. This drawer holds a custom-made lightweight book for recording the viewers' impressions of the stone. In this case, the owner of the stone would invite guests to his home solely to view and discuss the stone on display. Then, the host asks the guests to write their impressions of the stone in the book. The book and stone are kept together in the storage box as part of the stone's provenance.
Note the additional narrow drawer in these two storage boxes. Left, the pull draw can only be opened after the lid to the box is removed. Right, the pull drawer can be opened without removing the sliding lid.
Over time, a storage box for a valued stone may become damaged or fragile. Japanese suiseki connoisseurs will have a slightly larger storage box made to contain the older box and its stone. The purpose is to preserve the historical record of the stone and any early box writings. However, preserving the original box is much preferred to having a new box made.
(top) An older box and stone are stored in a larger on-the-shelf Paulownia box to provide additional protection from damage.
(mid) Japanese woodworker Hotomi Junzo made this double storage box. (bottom) The outer box is mulberry wood, while the inner box is Paulownia wood. A cloth tie holds the upper part of the box in place.
Box Writing (Hakogaki)
Secondarily, storage boxes should contain important information about the stone. This information, its provenance, is essential to a stone’s value, particularly generations later. Unfortunately, the historical records about a stone's origin and recordings of past ownership often are lost. The most historically important and the most valuable stones today are ones with proper documentation or provenance. A superior storage box provides much of this information on the front and back of the sliding panel that opens the box. This box writing, hakogaki in Japanese, usually includes the poetic name, if any; the type of stone, where it originated, ownership, and additional information such as a short poem or indication of previous ownerships. There are no rigid rules for box writing, although it is common to put the poetic name and/or the type of stone on the front of the sliding panel and the ownership and a poem on the backside. Many exceptions to this exist. An examination of two examples will help to understand box writing.
Example 1:
The storage box and box writing for the Japanese Kamuikotan stone named "Spring."
It was a custom in Japan for a stone collector to ask a recognized suiseki expert to name his stone and do the box writing. For instance, Mr. Ogasawara collected a Kamuikotan stone in the Ishikari River in Hokkaido in 1971. Six years later, he sent his stone to Murata Kenji, owner of Koju-en Nursery and recognized leader of susieki and asked Murata to name his stone, have a box made for it, and then do the box writing. Murata named the stone "Spring" because the stone reminded him of a freshwater spring. After having a box made, Murata wrote the name "Spring” on the front of the sliding panel. He then wrote, "Excellent stone with unique color collected by Mr. Ogasawara" right side of the back of the panel. The back of the panel has the date "Spring 1976," together with the statement that the Kojun owner did the box writing. Murata's red seal is also present. The correspondence between the two gentlemen was included in the box when it was returned to its owner. This box writing and accompanying correspondence is a rare example of reliable documentation for the provenance of this stone.
Example 2:
Eighty-year-old Komori Sokan, director of the Japan Aiseki Museum, in Gifu, made this box writing. The larger text in the center reads, "Himekiku Saika" which translates as "small mums are colorful and fragrant." The words "natural chrysanthemum flower stone" is written on one side of the poetic name while the words "from Neo Valley, Gifu" are on the other side. The text on the back panel reads "natural chrysanthemum red flowers" along with the poem "Mums in the stone of deep mountains of Neo valley in Gifu. Mums that God made, forever, forever." The poem is signed by Japan Aiseki Museum Director, Komori Sokan along with his seal. This stone was sent to Komori to name, or it was included in the Japan Aiseki Museum's collection at one time. The museum opened on October 18, 1967, and may have survived for ten years or more before closing. It no longer exists, but Komori's box writing does. It serves as evidence of Komori's role in Japanese suiseki and the Japan Aiskei Museum.
Cautions: Storage boxes and stones do become separated over time, or stones may be lost or damaged beyond repair. In these cases, the boxes are reused by dealers and collectors to store other stones. This is often the case when the box appears to be a little bigger than needed for the stone. Before purchasing a boxed stone, always ask if this is the original box for the stone it contains. Also, be alert about purchasing a recently made box for an older stone attributed to a famous older, typically deceased, collector, or personality. These attributions usually cannot be substantiated.
Every serious stone collector should have a storage box for each of their most prized stones. The box writing should be simple, not overcrowded, and imply the beauty of what is inside the box. There are no rules that the box writing should be in Japanese or Chinese. These boxes, after all, serve a practical purpose. Box writing can be in any language. A stone collector in Italy, for example, can use Italian on the front and back sides of the sliding panel that opens a box. Properly housing and storing a beautiful collection must also be a functional system that can be readily understood by its owner.
