Decorated with autumn flowers on a black ground and paulownia crests on a gold ground, intersecting with each-other in a zig-zag pattern. This style of lacquer is known as Kōdaiji which developed in the 1580s and became favoured by the Imperial Regent ToyotomiHideyoshi. It represents a shift in the aesthetics of Japanese lacquer design and sees the first introduction of abstraction. It takes its name from the Kōdaiji Temple where a shrine was dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1605/6 containing about 30 objects personally owned by the shogun, all of which are in this style and bear the paulownia mon of the clan.
