Book Cover (Tensho Sei-kuu-mon)

In Europe, particularly in the Nordic countries, many textiles have been made with variations of motifs related to the life of people living in the grand nature. In Japan, also, there are similar motifs conn ected with the lifestyle of people which have the specific auspicious meanings. In this fabric, we have made a new design of auspiciousness unifying the Nordic taste and the Japanese taste with the composition as follows ; * The snow crystal design as seen in the Nordic countries looks similar to the snowflake-shape (yuki-wa) in Japan meaning the sperm of grains. The snow is the symbol of bumper crop and it is even inscribed in Man-yo -shuu, the oldest collection of poems in Japan. * The reindeer flying across the heavenly snowfield in the Nordic countries is designed in this fabric with the checked pattern (ichi-matsu) on the body of the reindeer, which is the lucky omen in Japan. * The pinecone and the fir tree, the symbol of longevity in the Nordic countries are expressed here by the triangle emblem (uroko-mon) which is the symbol of protection against misfortune in Japan. We have made a new design of the good omen into warp-patterned brocade with our refined weaving technique.