Gold-leaf tile illustrates the riches of the Toyotomi regime

Cultural Property Designated by the City of Osaka Square decorative tile featuring an empress tree emblem rendered in gold leaf Toyotomi period/Late 16th century

This decorative tile, unearthed during a 1971 excavation at the Morinomiya Ruins in Chuo-ku district, Osaka, features the goshichikirimon empress tree emblem rendered in gold leaf.
The area where it was found, just west of JR Morinomiya Station, is believed to be the site of a former samurai residence in Osaka Castle, which was begun by the Toyotomi family in 1583.
The empress tree pattern is directly associated with the Toyotomi family, suggesting that the owner of the residence had a close connection to the Toyotomi regime.
All the feudal lords of the nation who submitted to the regime had residences in and around Osaka Castle, typically decorated with splendid gold-leaf roof tiles. Gold-leaf tiles were also a symbol of Osaka, at that time the largest city in Japan.