Object Description
A Fine Black & Gold Lacquer
Japanese Nagamochi Trunk
With Family Crests of the Tokugawa and Minamoto Clans
Of rectangular form, the storage trunk covered on all sides with hiramaki-e Japanese lacquer work in low relief and embellished with gilded metal fittings decorated with a foliage pattern, the sides and lids bearing the ‘Mon’ (family crest) of the ruling Tokugawa clan and the revered Minamoto clan.
Japanese, Edo Period, circa 1800
This rectangular, portable trunk was designed to hold parts of the wedding trousseau of a high-ranking lady from the important Tokugawa family. A triple hollyhock is incorporated into the design, representing the Tokugawa, while the other emblem of three Japanese gentian flowers on five bamboo leaves represents the Minamoto clan which was considered one of the most powerful and most important clans of Japan. The two handles were designed so that a pole could be pulled through them, enabling two people to carry the trunk on their shoulders.