Genji Monogatari Emaki
The word "emaki" stems from the word "emakimono" meaning "picture scrolls". The emakimono picture scrolls consisted of two designs: Pictures that were painted on a scroll with text added to the same scroll or a number of paintings that accompanied passages of text and were joined together in a scroll. The first known picture scroll was produced in Japan during the late ninth or tenth century. The "Genji Monogatari" picture scroll, however, was produced in the early twelfth century. Not only is the "Genji Monogatari Emaki" the oldest surviving monogatari scroll but it is also the oldest surviving non-Buddhist scroll in Japan. There is no exact date to the scroll, but it is estimated to being sometime between 1120 and 1140, in which case it was created just a little over a century after Murasaki Shikibu wrote "The Tale of Genji".
Suzuri-bako
The first "suzuri-bako" were developed in 9th century Japan. At the time, calligraphy was an integral part of Japanese society. In order for a writer to produce a high-quality calligraphy script, a set of precise tools was needed. The most important of these tools was the inkstone, which was required to hold and transfer ink onto a writer's brush. Ink sticks, water droppers, and a small knife were also part of a calligrapher's set. Suzuri-bako were designed to ensure that the various tools a calligrapher needed were properly organized and protected. Due to the insoluble nature of resin-based lacquer, the contents of the writing box were relatively safe from moisture. Inside of the square or rectangular boxes rested a number of different trays and holders, the layout of which differed from period to period. Early boxes were large enough to accommodate both the writer's implements and papers, while later boxes only housed tools. A second type of box, the "ryōshibako", were used in later periods to house completed papers.