Well Worn Bunch of Old Color Cubes, No Box Japanese postcard Really a nice

Really a nice

I believe the animal depicted on the lid of this beautiful presumed Japanese lacquer box is a Shi-shi or Shisa dog-- a creature resembling a cross between a lion and a dog that derives from Okinawan mythology and is perceived to be a ward protecting from evils

Photos best portray the damage to the lid--the lip has come apart from the flat part of the lid on one side

The hand-painted design--really a drawing on clay--reminds me of a  map with shape-shifting land masses

which is much of what makes it so lovely

Well Worn Bunch of Old Color Cubes, No Box Japanese postcard Really a niceI believe one can never have enough of these old Color Cubes, and an abundance of them together always feels very luxurious to me! This lot of 60 of them has been much enjoyed over the past 80 or so years I'd think, softening the edges and the color in a way I really like. I believe these blocks are from at least two different sets, thown together, with the paint loss and wear on some a little more than on others but all definitely much loved. Blocks