The box is made of wood, with a black lacquer, decorated with a floral-patterned "takamakie" (lacquer relief). The relief is chipped in places (see left) revealing a reddish-brown colour. This is "tonoko", a fine clay, that has been mixed with water and raw urushi (lacquer) to make "sabi urushi" (a kind of paste). There are different ways of applying sabi urushi. The curved edges here suggest that this has been applied fairly simply, using a thick paste applied in one coating. (My thanks to Andy Dingley, of the rec.antiques newsgroup, for this explanation.)

This is an octagonal container for holding and pouring sake. It stands about 26 cm. (10.5 inches) high, and each of the eight side boards measures about 6 cm. (2.4 inches) by 14 cm. (5.6 inches). It has a "hiramaki-e"lacquer design on the sides. The sake was poured in through the mouth at the top of the handle, and the lid is made to fit snugly in place.

The lacquer technique involves "kirikane" (strips of gold leaf cut and inserted into the design), and is simply but elegantly done.

The modern style of drinking sake (i.e., poured from much more modestly-sized containers) came in during the 19th century. That, together with aspects of the design, suggests that this dates from the 18th century.