The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Inro (Case) with Mice and Beans

late 1800s

Japan, Meiji period

(1868–1912)
Lacquer on wood with color and sprinkled gold powder design (maki-e)
Diameter: 8.4 cm (3 5/16 in.)
Gift of D. Z. Norton 1916.885
Location: Not on view

Description

This round inro is decorated with an image of a single mouse feasting on beans. The theme is elaborated with a metal ojime (cinch) in the form of a cloth bag tied with rope—suggesting the food stores the mouse is raiding. The carved wood netsuke, or toggle, is in the shape of a mouse clutching a nut.
  • ?–1916
    D. Z. Norton [1851–1928], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1916–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Animals in Japanese Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24-December 10, 2023).
  • {{cite web|title=Inro (Case) with Mice and Beans|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.885