{"id":57557,"date":"2024-10-18T13:25:31","date_gmt":"2024-10-18T04:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/?post_type=product&p=57557"},"modified":"2026-03-24T13:28:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T04:28:24","slug":"antique-japanese-yatateshodo-06","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/product\/antique-japanese-yatateshodo-06\/","title":{"rendered":"Antique Japanese Yatate
(Shodo-06)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Title: Butterfly and Gourd<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Description<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0This item is an antique Yatate (\u77e2\u7acb\u3066). 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.
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\u00a0There 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 (\u7b99, 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 (\u77e2\u7acb\u3066\u306e\u786f, \u786f is an inkstone),” which is why the set of portable writing utensils came to be called the Yatate.
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\u00a0One 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 (\u6a9c\u6247, fan made of hinoki cypress) shaped or Tessen (\u9244\u6247, 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 (\u6587\u93ae) and a tool for self-defense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Regarding the decoration, the butterfly (\u8776, 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The gourd is called Hisago (\u74e2), Hyotan (\u74e2\u7baa) or Uri (\u74dc) in Japanese. Since ancient times, Japanese people have appreciated this plant design as an auspicious motif. For example, a Hisago is written as \u201c\u74e2,\u201d which can also be read as \u201cHyou.\u201d Therefore, three Hisagos were considered the San-Byoushi (\u4e09\u62cd\u5b50, triple time, \u62cd\u5b50 can also be pronounced as Hyoushi). And people compared six Hisagos to Mubyou Sokusai (\u7121\u75c5\u606f\u707d, be in perfect health). It is because the word \u201c\u75c5 (Byou)\u201d has the same pronunciation as \u201c\u74e2 (it also can be read as Byou).\u201d 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0In addition, in China, the pronunciation of the character for butterfly (\u8776) is the same as the pronunciation of small gourd (\u74de), 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0*As this item is an antique, please check each photo and ensure its condition.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u3010About us\u3011<\/span><\/strong>
\n\u00a0Samurai 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\u3010Payment method\u3011<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0We accept payment through Stripe<\/strong> (Credit card), PayPal<\/strong>, Apple Pay or ChromePay, all of which are secure payment methods. Also, you don\u2019t need to make an account on Stripe for the checkout. If you prefer other payment method, please contact us. You may either pay in JPY<\/strong>, USD<\/strong>, AUD<\/strong>, CAD<\/strong>, EUR<\/strong>, CHF<\/strong> or GBP<\/strong>. The price is set in Japanese Yen. Prices in other currencies are automatically calculated based on the latest exchange rate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u3010Shipping duration\u3011<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0We normally ship via EMS (Express Mail Service) provided by Japan Post. It usually takes at least 5-14 days to deliver the package after you place an order. Time of delivery is estimated as accurately as possible by the carrier but does not take into account any delays beyond our control such as by inclement weather, post office holiday seasons.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0We offer Free International Shipping<\/strong><\/span> as long as we can ship your order by EMS. If you prefer other shipping carriers, please contact us. \u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0We will inform you of the order\u2019s tracking number via email. Please make sure you fill out your valid email address correctly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

*If you like to make sure if EMS shipping is available to your country, please contact us.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u3010How to make sure the condition\u3011<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0Please keep in mind that what you are going to purchase is an antique item. We uploaded high resolution photos for you to check its condition thoroughly. If you like to see more photos with different angles, please feel free to contact us. We will be happy to send them to you so that you can make informed decision. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0It is essential for us to know that you are happy with your choice of antique item and we are prepared to use the best of our ability to serve you.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0Would you like see some more antique items for sale? Please check the link below. We hope you can find your favorite item.<\/span>
\nhttps:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/product-category\/antique\/<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Delivery Time<\/strong><\/span>: Approx. 5-14 days<\/span>
\n*Delivery may take longer, depending on countries or holiday seasons.<\/span><\/p>\n

Title: Butterfly and Gourd<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

SIZE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Length<\/span><\/td>\nHeight<\/span><\/td>\nWeight<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
23.0cm<\/span><\/td>\n3.0cm<\/span><\/td>\n565g<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

You can enlarge all the photos to see the detail of the item.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":57767,"template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[138,72],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-57557","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-samurai-related-items","7":"product_cat-antique","9":"first","10":"outofstock","11":"shipping-taxable","12":"purchasable","13":"product-type-simple","14":"add-to-wishlist-after_add_to_cart","15":"customify-col","16":"product-has-gallery"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/57557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=57557"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=57557"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=57557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}