THE MEANINGS WOVEN IN
亀甲
kikkō
A wish for a long life, and steady protection.
Tortoise Shell
01
Where it comes from
The six-sided shape comes from the plates of a turtle's shell. In Japan the turtle has long been said to live ten thousand years, and its shell to guard what lies beneath it. So the hexagon came to carry two hopes at once: a long life, and a quiet shelter along the way. The hexagons are often linked into a lattice, or grouped in threes, and each cell can hold a flower or another small motif.
02
On the cloth
On obi, kikkō may be a lattice that holds flowers in each cell, or a ground on which other motifs rest. Here hexagons of vermilion, gold, and silver on black hold chrysanthemums and crest-like flowers; another cloth interlaces them in many colors with gold; and on white, gold hexagons meet drifting bands of cloud.
03
To give
Kikkō has been given for long-life celebrations and for weddings, often beside the crane. It suits someone you would like to keep safe, near or far.
A word to keep
鶴は千年、亀は万年
tsuru wa sen-nen, kame wa man-nen
The crane lives a thousand years, the tortoise ten thousand. Said as a blessing for a long life.
