In the seventeenth century, Japanese lacquer work (maki-e, literally meaning "sprinkled picture"), lavishly decorated with gold and silver particles and inlaid with lustrous shells, became world renowned. This luxurious trousseau box is in the Kodaiji style, which is noted for its spontaneous design. Such wares were made in large quantities in a workshop setting to quickly meet the high demand. The symbols of longevity on the lid—pine, turtles, and cranes—imply that perhaps the box was made for a marriage or an anniversary. The four sides have floral designs of pine and camellia, wisteria, peony, and snow-covered bamboo. The sides of the box have two contrasting fields of black lacquer and "pear-skin" lacquer (nashiji), divided by a diagonal, gold, zigzagging line. In comparison with early Kodaiji lacquer ware of the Momoyama period, the design and technical mastery of this box show a greater complexity.