A Japanese lacquer diminutive model of a norimono palanquin, Edo/Meiji period, of typical form with foliate engraved gilt copper mounts, the carrying beam, panelled roof, two sliding doors and sides decorated with gilt Kikkawa clan mon above gilt foliage, all on a dark brown ground, height 42.5cm, length 46.5cm, length of beam 129.3cm (some faults). Note: palanquins or norimono were a popular mode of transport, used to carry the bride of the warlord during elaborate wedding processions to demonstrate and display the two families wealth and power. Models such as this example were often displayed during Japan's doll festival on the 3rd of March each year, and it is common practice for young girls to receive sets of decorative Japanese dolls and miniature furnishings at birth. The Kikkawa clan was a prominent samurai clan of Japan's Sengoku period. The family takes the name from a place called Kikkawa in Irie no sho domain, in the Suruga Province.