Hako

Rectangular wooden box with a lid that has a circular hole so it can be easily removed and replaced with a finger. The box has various layers of black Japanese urushi lacquer. The outside is decorated using the maki-e technique with a fine, gold dust in the form of paulownia branches and the crest of the Shimazu family: a circle with a cross inside. The inside has all been decorated using the nashiji technique where little particles of gold are applied to the final lacquer layer while it is still fresh to achieve a flecked effect.