Norimon

The principal large objects made of lacquered wood are the norimons (palanquins) and travelling trunks of nobles, wardrobes, toilet tables[…]

There are two sorts of palanquin, the norimon and the cango. The former, which requires four bearers for long journeys, is a large, heavy box, in which one may sit with tolerable comfort. The sides are in lacquered wood, and contain two sliding doors. Although this norimon is, par excellence, the vehicle of the nobility, it admits of no ornaments, and is used by the ladies of the middle class and by the registered courtesans, because both occupy a certain position of fortune and consideration in society. The cango is a light litter of bamboo, open on both sides; it requires only two bearers, who always walk with a rapid and regular step. They rest for one minute out of twenty.