This time, I would like to talk about Japanese traditional patterns, “Japanese pattern”.
The images of the Japanese pattern I imagined are the kimono and obi pattern that my grandmother used to wear, the pattern of the towel that my grandfather wrapped around his neck when he was working in a field, and the pattern of the large green furoshiki that a thief was carrying on his back. That’s about it.
What’s your impression of Japanese patterns?
This time, I would like to introduce the charming points of such Japanese patterns and their relationship with fashion.
It is thought that the oldest pattern is the one drawn by pressing “Yori-nawa” on the surface of the pottery during the Jomon era.
In the early Heian era, many designs in Japan were influenced by China, but in the late Heian era, with the development and change of Japanese culture, the design has changed to be unique to Japan.
As the design features, many of them are patterned with the beauty of nature, the seasons and the legends of Japanese traditions.
Also, Japanese patterns were sometimes made using the samurai family crest as a pattern.
The Japanese pattern has been inherited for over 100 years, and it has a very long history and I felt a romance.
Japanese pattern to introduce this time, Ichimatsu pattern
There are so many types of Japanese patterns, and if you talk about each pattern, it’s too much and an article is not enough to talk about them.
So, this time, I would like to introduce “Ichimatsu pattern” that is also popular among modern fashion.
It is a grid pattern that is arranged in different colors, which is similar to the so-called checkered pattern.
It is also called “Ishidatami” or “Arare” in Japanese, and in English, it is also called a checkered flag pattern and chess board pattern.
Ichimatsu pattern is characterized by a pattern continued from up to down and from left to right, and seems to be called a pattern that means eternity, expansion and prosperity.
It was also used for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympics emblems and Olympic character design.
This emblem is named “Kumiichi Matsumon” and is made up of three squares, and seems to express diversity from differences of countries, cultures and ideas.
The kimono pattern worn by the hero of the 2020 unprecedented blockbuster character, Kimetsu no Yaiba, was also a green and white checkered pattern.
The streets were full of children who were fans of Kimetsu no Yaiba, dressed in checkred masks and clothes in the color of Sumijiro.
I hope that the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and Japanese animations will be an opportunity for people all over the world who do not yet know Japanese patterns to become aware of Japanese patterns, become interested in them, and learn about the goodness of them.
・和柄(市松模様)とファッションの関係性
古典的な紋様の市松模様は着物や帯、和小物のイメージが強いですが、現在ではファッションアイテムとして身に付けている方も多いのではないでしょうか。
例えば、ハイブランド、ルイ・ヴィトンの定番柄「ダミエ」は、日本の市松模様にインスピレーションを受けていると言われています。
スケート&サーフカルチャーのアイコンブランド「VANS」の定番スニーカー「チェッカーボードスニーカ(市松模様)」は今でも根強い人気があります。
S N Sで今年のトレンドファッションを見ていても“市松模様”アイテムがたくさん出てきます。
まさかこの柄が100年以上前からあるものだとは思えないくらいの、今も昔も変わらず愛される柄の1つだと感じます
Relationship between Japanese pattern, Ichimatsu pattern, and fashion
Ichimatsu pattern of the classic pattern has a strong image of kimono, obi and Japanese accessories, but I think many people now wear it as a fashion item.
For example, the classic Louis Vuitton pattern “Damier” is said to be inspired by the Japanese checkered pattern.
The classic sneaker “Checkerboard Sneaker, Ichimatsu pattern” of the icon brand “VANS” of skate & surf culture is still popular.
Even if you look at this year’s trendy fashion on SNS, you will find many “checkered pattern” items.
I don’t think this pattern has been around for more than 100 years, and I feel that it is one of the patterns that are still loved now and in the past.
In Japan, there is an idiom made up of the famous four letters, “Onkochishin”.
The meaning is “to know the old to understand the new from them.”
You learned about Japanese patterns, Ichimatsu patterns, and from there you can see the appearance of modern Japanese patterns.It is a Japanese pattern, Ichimatsu pattern, that exists as matter of course now, but I feel the preciousness, which a pattern more than 100 years ago exists as a pattern at the forefront of modern fashion.
Japanese historical pattern, Ichimatsu pattern.
I am looking forward to a new fusion with fashion and culture in the future.