toiletries case; cosmetic box
Archaic term for a box or case used to hold combs, cosmetics, and personal grooming items, especially in Heian-era aristocratic contexts. Not used in modern daily life.
Women in the Heian period kept combs and cosmetics in a toiletries case.
This picture scroll depicts a beautiful maki-e toiletries case.
Historical kanji spelling; the second character 笥 is uncommon. Learners will most often encounter this word in classical contexts.
Alternate historical kanji spelling using a single character for 'box'. Rare and mainly found in older texts.
Compound of 櫛 (くし, 'comb') and 笥 (げ, 'box' or 'case'). The second element is an old morpheme for a container, also seen in words like 文笥 (ふみげ, 'document box').