An inrō (印籠) is a traditional Japanese case for holding small objects, suspended from the obi (sash) worn around the waist. They are often highly decorated, in a variety of materials and techniques, in particular often using lacquer.

Because traditional Japanese robes lacked pockets, objects were often carried by hanging them from the obi in containers known as sagemono (a Japanese generic term for a hanging object attached to a sash). Most sagemono were created for specialized contents, such as tobacco, pipes, writing brush and ink, but the type known as inrō was suitable for carrying anything small. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inr%C5%8D

I wanted to have some trinket to hang on my jeans and decided to make an inro. Slightly changed the design. Instead of a netsuke, a small carbine is used which can be hooked onto the belt loops. I covered inro with varnish and from this the lid began to close tightly and hardly to open. You can put any objects there and carry them with you freeing your pockets from ugly bulging items.