Title
- Part of a set. Surface pattern (waritsuke monyō 割付文様): bishamon kikkō 毘沙門亀甲, alternating with chrysanthemum motifs and sayagata 紗綾形 pattern
Collection
Period | Style | School
Material | Technique
Measurements
- height: 32.8 cm
- width: 41.4 cm
- 1 Muster - height: 20.5 cm
- 1 Muster - width: 34.9 cm
Inventory number
- OR 3925-1236
Acquisition
- assumption , 1907
Department
- Asia Collection
Description
-
"Dyed ground" (jizomari 地染), probably part of a two-sheet pattern (nimaigata 二枚型), "main stencil" (omogata 主型).
Bishamon kikkō 毘沙門亀甲: a surface pattern of three composite kikkō (mitsumori kikkō 三盛亀甲 = „triple“ kikkō). Since Bishamon-ten 毘沙門天, god of fortune and guardian, is often depicted in an armor with this pattern (as in Tōdaiji 東大寺, Nara), this surface pattern is commonly called bishamon kikkō.
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.
Sayagata 紗綾形: pattern of interlocking swastika (manji 万字/卍).
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stencil (katagami 型紙), Part of a set. Surface pattern (waritsuke monyō 割付文様): bishamon kikkō 毘沙門亀甲, alternating with chrysanthemum motifs and sayagata 紗綾形 pattern, Anonym, MAK Inv.nr. OR 3925-1236
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https://sammlung.mak.at/en/collect/part-of-a-set-surface-pattern-waritsuke-monyo-割付文様-bishamon-kikko-毘沙門亀甲-alternating-with-chrysanthemum-motifs-and-sayagata_316679
Last update
- 17.02.2026
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