Leather-Lined Business Card Case—Ryouka Brocade

Circular and cross designs of conventional floral scrolls in yellow were arranged on a purple ground in the original weft-patter ned brocade, which was found on the borders of the screens preserved in Shosoin Repository, Nara Prefecture, decorated with Tang Dynasty, Chinese ideographs formed with birds'feathers. This type of design reveals the characteristics of the flourishing days of the Nara period, the 8th century Japan.

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.