WOODEN TEA TRAY, Carved with tsubo-no-ishibumi monument design, Meiji Period（1868–1912CE）

Meiji-period wooden sencha tray carved with an urn-and-stele motif.

This sencha tray is a thin, low rectangular piece carved with a jar-and-stele motif and lines of Chinese poetry. With softly rounded corners and a shallowly raised rim, it has a neat, restrained profile; though compact, it possesses the refined charm of a scholar’s study.

At the center of the tray surface is a jar-shaped stele motif evoking an ancient monument, its interior and surround incised with delicate characters. On either side, linear incisions suggesting grasses, flowers, and waterside scenes create a tranquil landscape within the surrounding negative space. The piece combines poetic inscriptions, ancient-stele motifs, and landscape designs in a manner characteristic of Meiji-period sencha aesthetics.

The tsubo monument referred to here appears to denote the stele in Mutsu Province known as an ancient monument. Long famed as a poetic place-name and later widely recognized after the visit of Matsuo Bashō, it became for many literati a locus onto which they projected a yearning for travel and a longing for the ancient past. Long famed as a poetic place-name and later widely recognized after the visit of Matsuo Bashō, it became for many literati a locus onto which they projected a yearning for travel and a longing for the ancient past. The single character meaning "west" carved on this piece and the inscription-like arrangement likewise appear to reproduce that stele. Practitioners of sencha tea, while drinking, would turn their thoughts to poetry and ancient sites; on this tray too, such literary longing is quietly reflected.

The wood has a deep brown hue and a well-used sheen. The surface bears numerous fine scuffs and scratches, and the carving is worn in places; such abrasion, however, attests to the long period of use. The underside is hollowed out, a construction that restrains warping while keeping the piece light.

As well as serving as a sencha tray for a teapot and small cups, it can also be enjoyed as a tray for incense implements and small objects or as an accessory for the study. It is just the right size to accommodate a single teapot.

The surface exhibits rubbing, scratches, and wear to the carving; the edges and reverse show small chips and areas of roughness. Please note these conditions are consistent with the piece’s age.