Book Cabinet (Shodansu) for a set of "The Chronicle of Great Peace" (Taiheiki). Culture: Japan. Dimensions: H. 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm); W. 10 3/4 in. (27.3 cm); L. 15 1/2 in. (39.4 cm). Date: 18th century.This drop-front cabinet was designed to store the forty-two volumes of the Taiheki, a Japanese historical epic written in the late fourteenth century. It tells the story of Emperor Go-Daigo's accession in 1318, moves through Ashikaga Takauji's betrayal of the Hojo clan and Go-Daigo's fall and expulsion by Takauji in 1333, and culminates with Go-Daigo's return to Kyoto in 1338. The cabinet has six drawers, with inscriptions indicating which volume belongs to which drawer. The exterior of the cabinet is decorated with autumn grasses and flowers, further embellished with inlaid silver dewdrops. The upper part of the composition depicts clouds and mist (similar to Japanese painting) executed in very fine togidashimaki-e (burnished "sprinkled picture") with delicate gradations. The edge of th