A Japanese silver rectangular cigar box, early 20th century, decorated in relief with scattered blossom and leaves on a hammered ground, the hinged lid opening to reveal a hardwood lined compartmentalized interior, hallmark and inscribed 'J. Kuhn & Co Kobe' to inner rim, length 30cm. Provenance: accompanied by a photocopy of a receipt, dated '1-10 68', stating 'silver Japanese cigar box, presented by Emperor of Japan to his interpreter'. Note: Kuhn & Komor (formerly known as Kuhn & Co) were established 1869 and were retailers in East Asia renowned for their luxury goods, producing jewellery, silver, china and personal accessories, for which they became known as 'the Asprey of Asia'. This Hungarian-owned Japanese company had numerous branches throughout Asia, including Calcutta, Kobe, Singapore, Yokohama, Shanghai and Hong Kong. They were noted as the favoured suppliers of diplomatic presentation silver by the Japanese government.