撫子
THE MEANINGS WOVEN IN
nadeshiko
A wish for a little one to be cherished, and to grow gently.
Dianthus
A child grows →01
Where it comes from
Nadeshiko is drawn from the wild pink, a small flower of five pale pink petals with finely fringed edges. One of the seven flowers of autumn, it grows wild on riverbanks and hillsides. The name is said to come from its lovely form, likened to the face of a smiling girl, or from a word for gently stroking, and so the flower came to mean a little one held dear. Its clear, gentle charm is thought to be why it was taken up as a pattern.
02
On the cloth
In the tea ceremony, an old woven silk of fireflies and small flowers has long been called nadeshiko-gire, though its flowers look little like the usual pink. Treasured old fabrics like this were also made into pouches for prized tea caddies. In Noh, pinks and dragonflies have been woven among bands of mist on karaori brocade.
03
To give
Nadeshiko suits a birth, a first birthday, or a little one's first day at school. It is a gift for a little one you hope will be loved, gently, for a long time.
A word to keep
常夏
tokonatsu
Everlasting summer. One of the old names for the wild pink.
Two questions
What does the Dianthus (撫子) pattern mean?
A wish for a little one to be cherished, and to grow gently. Nadeshiko suits a birth, a first birthday, or a little one's first day at school.
Where does the 撫子 pattern come from?
Nadeshiko is drawn from the wild pink, a small flower of five pale pink petals with finely fringed edges. One of the seven flowers of autumn, it grows wild on riverbanks and hillsides.
