Title
- Plant pattern (shokubutsu monyō 植物文様): peonies, Japanese clovers, blades of grass, shōbugawa 菖蒲革 ("calamus" leather) and triangular chrysanthemum halves
Collection
Period | Style | School
Material | Technique
Measurements
- height: 31.4 cm
- width: 43.3 cm
- pattern - height: 19.7 cm
- pattern - width: 35.5 cm
Inventory number
- OR 3925-6254
Acquisition
- assumption , 1907
Department
- Asia Collection
Description
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"Dyed ground" (jizomari 地染), most probably a part of a set (hazure はずれ).
Peonies symbolise wealth and beauty. Because of their magnificent blossom with many petals, they are often used as a motif for handicrafts. Red peonies were even said to be able ensure longevity and immortality when drunk as an herbal decoction.
The flowers of the Japanese clover (hagi 萩) hang from flexible branches that sway in the slightest breeze, delighting people. As the plant bears many flowers, it is considered a symbol of prosperity. Japanese clover is also said to be the most frequently mentioned plant in the Manyōshū 万葉集 (“Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves”, 8th century). It is one of the “seven autumn grasses” (aki no nanakusa 秋の七草) and has been used as a decorative element since the Heian period (794 - 1192).
Shōbu 菖蒲 (= calamus) can mean according to the sound “military” or “martial”. Therefore, the armors made of tanned deerskin was often decorated with the shōbu motif. This motif is also used as a fabric pattern called shōbugawa monyō 菖蒲革文様 ("calamus"-leather pattern).
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), Plant pattern (shokubutsu monyō 植物文様): peonies, Japanese clovers, blades of grass, shōbugawa 菖蒲革 ("calamus" leather) and triangular chrysanthemum halves, Anonym, MAK Inv.nr. OR 3925-6254
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https://sammlung.mak.at/en/collect/plant-pattern-shokubutsu-monyo-植物文様-peonies-japanese-clovers-blades-of-grass-shobugawa-菖蒲革-calamus-leather-and-triangular-chrysanthemu_348525
Last update
- 12.10.2026
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