Title
- Part of a set. Animal pattern (dōbutsu monyō 動物文様), plant pattern (shokubutsu monyō 植物文様), surface pattern (waritsuke monyō 割付文様): chrysanthemums and parts of hexagon surface pattern (yabure kikkō 破れ亀甲; "shredded" kikkō) with butterflies
Collection
Period | Style | School
Material | Technique
Measurements
- height: 32.5 cm
- width: 41.2 cm
- 1 Muster - height: 21.9 cm
Inventory number
- OR 3925-1654
Acquisition
- assumption , 1907
Department
- Asia Collection
Description
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"Dyed ground" (jizomari 地染), "canceling-out stencil" (keshigata 消型).
Kikkō tsunagi 亀甲繋ぎ (connected tortoiseshells/hexagons): a geometric pattern of hexagons, that was already found in Sassanid art and is said to have come to Japan via China and Korea during the Nara period (710-794). Because of the resemblance to the turtle shell shield, it is called kikko 亀甲. It counts as an auspicious pattern (kisshō monyō 吉祥文様) and since the Heian period (794-1185, also 794-1192) also as a 'courtly pattern' (yūsoku monyō 有職文様).
The chrysanthemum (kiku 菊) symbolizes longevity, which dates back to a Chinese legend. The Yellow River once originated in a chrysanthemum meadow, and a villager who drank from the spring achieved a long life. In Japan, the motif first appears in the Kokin-wakashū 古今和歌集 (early 10th century), while the Man’yōshū 万葉集 from the 8th century lists 157 plant species but does not contain a single poem about chrysanthemums. It is therefore assumed that the flower was first introduced to Japan from China at the end of the 8th or beginning of the 9th century.
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stencil (katagami 型紙), Part of a set. Animal pattern (dōbutsu monyō 動物文様), plant pattern (shokubutsu monyō 植物文様), surface pattern (waritsuke monyō 割付文様): chrysanthemums and parts of hexagon surface pattern (yabure kikkō 破れ亀甲; "shredded" kikkō) with butterflies, Anonym, MAK Inv.nr. OR 3925-1654
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https://sammlung.mak.at/en/collect/part-of-a-set-animal-pattern-dobutsu-monyo-動物文様-plant-pattern-shokubutsu-monyo-植物文様-surface-pattern-waritsuke-monyo-割_319512
Last update
- 25.04.2026
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