The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Multi-compartment, dark brown box with compartments outlined in gold and decorated with gold floral imagery with an occasional light teal blue and purple flower pairing. A box-width shelf with a tray on it and drawer run across the top and bottom of the box, while it is divided into two sections in the center. On the left run three horizontal sections. On the right are two doors with dark grey hinges and handles.

Ten-Round Incense Game

1700s–mid-1800s

Japan, Edo period

(1615–1868)
Lacquered wood with gold and silver sprinkled powder (maki-e) and mother-of-pearl inlay, metal fittings
Overall: 23 x 25.4 x 16.6 cm (9 1/16 x 10 x 6 9/16 in.)
Gift of George Trumbull Ladd 1921.405
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The blue and white porcelain containers in which the heated incense was passed feature designs of foreigners.

Description

A popular pastime in the Edo period was a game in which a group of players passed around incense and guessed its name or scent. Small pieces of incense would be placed on thin mica plates and heated over hot ash, releasing their aroma for the players to smell. Players then cast their guesses with playing pieces. The game master kept score with the writing set. This game is handsomely decorated with images of deer in an autumn setting.
  • Count Matsudaira
    1899–1921
    George Trumbull Ladd [1842–1921], New Haven, CT, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1921–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • MacLean, J. Arthur. “Recent Gift of George Trumbull Ladd.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 8, no. 5 (May 1921): pp. 79–80, 87. Mentioned: pp. 79, 80 www.jstor.org
    “Accessions.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 8, no. 5 (May 1921): 84–85. Mentioned; p. 84 www.jstor.org
  • Practice and Play in Japanese Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 20-November 30, 2025).
    Arts of Japan from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Mansfield Art Center, Mansfield, OH (organizer) (March 25-April 22, 1979).
    In the Nature of Materials, Japanese Decorative Arts. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 18-February 20, 1977).
  • {{cite web|title=Ten-Round Incense Game|url=false|author=|year=1700s–mid-1800s|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1921.405