This stand was used in a Tokonoma as a base for a beautiful flower arrangement or maybe a treasured incense burner or sculpture. A tokonoma was a small alcove in the hallway of a house where a scroll was placed at the back and a flower arrangement or object in the center. It was a intended to show these objects at their best and cause the viewer to contemplate the beauty of the objects themselves and their arrangement. A quiet place for reflection and consideration. The contents of the tokonoma would be changed regularly often reflecting the seasonal changes. The piece would be carefully chosen. A wonderful stand such that it would have been selected to show off the beauty of the item that stood on it. There were many pieces made using the pawlonia and the chrysanthemum symbols (The Tokugawa and Imperial mon) such as this stand during this time, again implying something ancient as the Tokugawa family had long been out of power. The writings on kiri (paulonia wood) box read: "The small desk for scroll calligraphy" along with Wajima nuri in nashiji, four digit phone numbers in the back (late Meiji to early Showa).