Vase in a flaring baluster form ornamented with relief diamond-form geometric designs. Of kanshitsu or dry lacquer with choshitsu or carved ornamentation, in orange-red, tan, olive-green, and red-brown lacquers, the black lacquered rim finished in silver flake nashiji lacquer and ground black lacquer, the base in ground red lacquers. Signed on the reverse with an incised signature by the artist: Hakuo Saku or Made by Hakuo (Iriyama Hakuo, born 1904). Early Showa era, circa 1930 – 1940.

With the tomobako or original box, inscribed on the exterior of the lid: Kanshitsu Kabin or Dry Lacquer Vase; and on the reverse of the lid: Hakuo Saku or Made by Hakuo, and sealed.

From Shirone City in Niigata Prefecture, Iriyama Hakuo entered the lacquer craft department of the Ueno Bijutsu Gakko (the Ueno Art School) in Tokyo in 1928. In 1931, he first had an artwork accepted into the Bijutsu Kogei Ten (Fine Art & Craft Exhibition). In 1932, his work was accepted into the Bijutsu Kyokai Ten (Fine Art Association Exhibition). In 1934, he traveled to Korea to study Korean culture. The next year he again exhibited at the Bijutsu Kyokai Ten, and was commissioned to make a natsume or summer tea caddy to the Empress Teimei. In 1939 he was accepted into the government sponsored 3rd Shin-Bunten Exhibition, and in 1940 into the Hoshukuten. He returned to the 6th Shin-Bunten in 1943. After the War, he returned to the government sponsored venues with the 1st and 2nd Nitten in 1946, the 4th in 1948 and the 6th in 1950. From that point he ceased to exhibit with the national exhibitions. In 1977 he held a retrospective exhibition at the Tokyo Central Art Museum (Tokyo Sentoraru Bijutsukan) and in 1982 held another retrospective of his lacquer paintings at the Pasadena Museum of Art in the United States.