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 The
island of Japan was a closed society for many centuries
and, despite only knowing of its existence in the last
one hundred years, it is suspected that the art of Himitsu-Bako
is much, much older. Nonetheless, it was not until the
mid 1980's that Japan's Industry Minister declared the
art form a National Traditional Handicraft. To be
designated as such, a craft must be manufactured by hand
by traditional artisans using traditional techniques and
materials. The item created must have a place for
practical use in every day life and production must be
contained to a specific area or region.
First
manufactured for export in the 1870's, the Japanese
Puzzle Box has come in a number of designs and colors,
gaining the most popularity around World War II. Though
boxes are fairly common and valuable, the art form can
also be found in a number of various shapes, such as
houses or boats. Commonly, these types of secret boxes
were used as piggy banks or coin holders. While some
boxes contained only one secret compartment, others
contained both an upper and lower hiding space. The
smallest of personal secret boxes were frequently used
to hold sewing needles, jewelry or other precious
keepsakes.
Were it
not for the wide variety of trees in the Hakone-Odawara
region of Japan it is difficult to tell if Himitsu-Bako
would have ever existed; or if it did, whether or not it
would have been as vivid as the use of the various
natural woods allow. The marquetry technique created in
Japan's Edo period became the trademark of not only the
Japanese Puzzle Box but the entire region of Hakone in
the Kanagawa Prefecture. Though entirely south of
Japan's capital of Tokyo, or Edo at the time, Hakone had
its own appeal in its natural hot springs. As was custom
for the tourists who visited the spot regularly, a
Japanese Puzzle Box was purchased upon leaving as a
memento of the trip or souvenir for loved ones.
As
interest in the Japanese Puzzle Box spread and they
started to become fashionable, the designs also became
more decorative and complex. Finally, when they were
slated for export, they became even more ornate and
greater in size. Even though the secret boxes were
simply meant to hold valuables and had little decoration
in the beginning, the intrigue of this simple creation
has led to a much cherished and respected art form.
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