Contacts between the royal families of Britain and Japan grew closer after an Anglo-Japanese Alliance was signed in 1902. Several Japanese princes made visits to the United Kingdom, bringing gifts of contemporary lacquer, including cabinets and boxes by leading Japanese artists such as Akatsuka Jitoku. This cabinet was presented to Queen Mary in 1911 by Prince Fushimi (1875–1946) on behalf of the Meiji emperor and Empress Sho-ken (1849–1914) of Japan.