Signed underneath Rōkansai saku (Made by Rokansai)
Fitted wood tomobako storage box inscribed outside Hanakago (Flower Basket); inscribed inside Getto Rokansai saku (Moon Rabbit, made by Rokansai); seal: Rokansai
Getto, literally "Moon Rabbit," is an ancient Chinese term referring to the belief, celebrated in No drama, that the moon is inhabited by a rabbit who pounds rice cakes. As often with Rokansai’s titles, its relationship to this basket is tantalizingly unclear. The balanced, compact form, typical of the artist’s mature period, is emphasized by a slight narrowing where the neck is secured by a bamboo band tied in a bow. This is more often seen in Rokansai’s later hanging flower baskets but for similar examples of standard baskets in this form, see Tochigi Kenritsu Bijutsukan (Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts), Iizuka Rokansai ten (Iizuka Rokansai: Master of Modern Bamboo Crafts), exhibition catalogue, 1989, cat. no. 68 (p. 60) and Erik Thomsen Gallery, Masterpieces of Japanese Bamboo Art, New York, 2017, cat. no. 22.