Japanese Chabako or Tea Box

Plain green box with a crisp red edge and a lid that means business.

This lacquered wood chabako tea box is from Japan, and dates to the 20th century. Japanese lacquer is made from the sap of the urushi tree, built up in thin coats on wood to give a hard, glossy and water-resistant surface. Rectangular lidded box in deep olive green, with visible grain showing through the finish. A thin line of red shows at the seam where lid meets body. The corners are square and the sides are plain and unadorned. It is 8.5 inches wide, 5.5 deep and 5.25 high.

Modest outside, which is how the best boxes keep secrets.