Paintings on a ceiling. The coffered ceilings *gōtenjō 格天井 of Japanese Buddhist temples have traditionally been decorated with floral patterns using the *ungen 繧繝 coloring technique. Although four coffers *gōma 格間 functioned as a unit and were painted with lotus flower arabesques renge karakusa 蓮華唐草 (see *rengemon 蓮華文) in the 7th century, one floral pattern had been given to each coffer since the 8th century. This general principle is preserved in temple ceiling paintings today, except for the lecture halls *hattō 法堂 of Zen temples, where it has been common to paint a dragon *ryū 龍 in ink in a circle ensō 円相 in the center of the single-paneled ceiling *kagami tenjō 鏡天井. With the development of shoin style architecture *shoin-zukuri 書院造 from the 16th century onward, colorful paintings of various kinds of birds, flowers and plants have been depicted on the latticed ceilings of the grand halls ōhiroma 大広間 and reception rooms taimenjo 対面所 of castles and mansions.