Hot weather continues across Japan. Local governments are encouraging people to avoid unnecessary trips outside because of the extreme heat. In the city where I live, announcements are frequently broadcast over the public loudspeakers reminding everyone to be careful about heatstroke. Even so, since students are already on their summer vacation, many people are traveling to popular tourist destinations. Mountain resorts and the seaside seem to be the most popular choices.
On today’s TV news, I saw a report about many people crossing the sea from Morocco to Spain to enter the country illegally. The report suggested that recent news about Spain accepting more undocumented migrants may be one of the reasons. Watching that reminded me of the box in the photo. I received it recently, and it seems to have been a souvenir from Morocco. I’m not sure if it can really be called a trick box, but it certainly surprised me. The mechanism is remarkably clever and very realistic.
Opening it is actually very simple. Just slide the small handle-like piece on the front of the box, and the lid opens. However, as the lid moves, a wooden snake suddenly jumps out at the same time. The angle is perfectly designed, so it looks as if the snake is striking the hand or finger that opened the box. A small piece of wire is used for the snake’s tongue, giving a slight prick when it touches your finger, which makes the surprise even greater. The snake is also painted in such a realistic and frightening way that it really looks like a venomous snake…haha.
I’m not sure whether it was really intended to be used as a container, but when you slide it open, there is a small space inside where you could put something. However, if you did, it would probably interfere with the movement of the snake. Because of that, I think it is better described as a souvenir toy made to surprise people. I don’t know what kind of wood was used on the outside, but it has the rich appearance of the hardwoods often seen in the Middle East and parts of Africa (Bubinga, Wenge, and Ebony etc.). Woods from these regions are often hard and heavy, but they can be difficult to work with because the grain is usually quite irregular. Even so, this box has been finished very well, with a smooth surface. I think it would be difficult to achieve this finish with cutting tools alone, no matter how sharp they were, so I suspect the surface was carefully shaped and smoothed with sandpaper or a sander. In any case, it is a very playful piece of craftsmanship.
Outside dimensions: 8.5 × 5.8 × 2.5 cm (3.3 × 2.3 × 1.0 inches)
Weight: 60 g (2.1 oz)
