Cloisonné Medallions of Flowers and Birds of the Four Seasons
The ash paneling from Kiso is mounted with 30 oval cloisonné medallions, depicting four seasons' flowers and birds. The pieces were crafted by the great cloisonné master Namikawa Sōsuke according to a design created by Watanabe Seitei, the iconic nihonga artist of the Meiji era. The enameling achieves the characteristic shading and gradation of nihonga to perfection, and these medallions have been called masterpieces of Japanese cloisonné.