This is a traditional Japanese Wakae-neki (wakae-zukuri) leaf-shaped book box. The wooden base is covered in black lacquer, densely sprinkled with gold like a vast starry sky, interspersed with colorful mother-of-pearl fragments. The box surface is decorated with a red and gold maki-e pattern of rare stones. Wakae-neki is a distinctive local lacquerware technique with a complex production process. The interior of the box is a glossy black, and it comes with its original wooden storage box.