Title: Butterfly and Gourd
Description
This item is an antique Yatate (矢立て). Its metal surface has been worn down due to aging, but the carvings of a butterfly, vines, and a gourd add decorativeness to this work.
There are two types of Yatates. The one is that it is a tool for inserting arrows. Its use could be thought of in the same way as the Ebira (箙, quiver). The other use of Yatate is a set of portable writing utensils that combines a brush and an ink pot. Materials include metal, ceramic, bamboo, and wood. It is a writing instrument from the Edo period with a tube for holding an ink pot into the brush. During the Kamakura period, people carried a small inkstone and a brush inside their quiver in preparation for writing on the battlefields, and this inkstone was called the Yatate-no Suzuri (矢立ての硯, 硯 is an inkstone),” which is why the set of portable writing utensils came to be called the Yatate.
One end of this Yatate is smaller than the other end, and when seen from above, it looks like a folded fan. This type of Yatate is called Hougi (檜扇, fan made of hinoki cypress) shaped or Tessen (鉄扇, iron-ribbed fan) shaped Yatate, and is said to have been used since the Genpei period (710-794). It was also used as a paperweight called Bunchin (文鎮) and a tool for self-defense.
Regarding the decoration, the butterfly (蝶, Chou) is perched on a gourd-fruit vine. The vine is coiled and seems to have been created by an elaborate technique. People preferred a butterfly pattern due to its growth process, beauty, and auspiciousness among the various animal patterns. A larva becomes a chrysalis, and it grows up into a butterfly. Since this insect changes its looks, it symbolizes being reborn; therefore, Samurai loved this design. In this way, butterflies are seen as symbols of human life, death, and resurrection and are said to house the souls of the dead.
The gourd is called Hisago (瓢), Hyotan (瓢箪) or Uri (瓜) in Japanese. Since ancient times, Japanese people have appreciated this plant design as an auspicious motif. For example, a Hisago is written as “瓢,” which can also be read as “Hyou.” Therefore, three Hisagos were considered the San-Byoushi (三拍子, triple time, 拍子 can also be pronounced as Hyoushi). And people compared six Hisagos to Mubyou Sokusai (無病息災, be in perfect health). It is because the word “病 (Byou)” has the same pronunciation as “瓢 (it also can be read as Byou).” Also, the Hisago pattern represents success in business and the prosperity of descendants as this plant produces lots of fruits. These meanings tell you how Japanese people love this design based on its acting superstitiously for good luck.
In addition, in China, the pronunciation of the character for butterfly (蝶) is the same as the pronunciation of small gourd (瓞), and the combination of gourd and butterfly is said to have come to be regarded as a figure of good fortune. And this combination was used as a family crest in Japan as well.
*As this item is an antique, please check each photo and ensure its condition.
【About us】
Samurai Museum is located in Tokyo, Japan, exhibiting antique artifacts related to the Samurai history. Samurai Museum Shop is the place for those who are interested in Japanese culture and craftsmanship. We deal with antique Samurai swords/armor, traditional crafts made in Japan and so on.
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【How to make sure the condition】
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