Hanging scroll with mandarin duck and arabesque design on red ground

On such occasions as the inauguration of the Todaiji Daibutsu or on the anniversary of Emperor Shomu’s death, a large number of banners of all sizes were hung on the temple pillars and elsewhere. These banners were decorated with precious brocade as shown by numerous examples still preserved in the Shosoin Repository. The original brocade from which this fabric was reproduced is the one used as the end decoration of one of the streamers a ttached to a banner. The design consists of a pair of mandarin ducks facing each other on a lotus blossom, the whole being surrounded by a floral scroll forming a circular pattern not symmetrical but in a pleasing balance. Strewn between circular patterns are floral scrolls in lozenge form. Our brocade is woven with a warp cloth weaving technique,l eaving richness of the original textile.

Since its establishment in 1894, Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono has been engaged in textile production based on "restoration and creation. Among these, research and restoration of Shosoin treasures is one of the cornerstones of the company's activities. Since Heizo Tatsumura, the founder of Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono, conducted research on ancient textile fragments at Shosoin and restored them, his knowledge, techniques, and spirit have been passed down through the generations to today's Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono.
In this feature, we have selected notable patterns from among the many Shosoin-derived patterns that we have restored. We hope you will see, touch, and feel the delicacy and beauty hidden in Shosoin treasures. Please enjoy them to your heart's content.