THE MEANINGS WOVEN IN
青海波
seigaiha
A wish for calm days and good fortune, without end.
Blue Sea Waves
01
Where it comes from
Seigaiha means waves of the blue sea. The name is shared with an old court dance of gagaku, and it is said the pattern was named for the waves drawn on the dancers' robes. Arcs are stacked like scales, each wave half hidden by the next, so the sea can go on as far as the cloth allows. People have given it a wish for peaceful days that keep coming, the way waves keep reaching the shore.
02
On the cloth
On obi, seigaiha may lie as a quiet ground of fine arcs, or rise large and bold across the cloth. Here it runs in rainbow bands of purple, orange, green, and pale blue on vermilion; on cream it stands as tall arches in vermilion, green, and gold; and on a small mat it loosens into swirling waves of peach, indigo, and gold.
03
To give
Seigaiha has been chosen for new homes, new jobs, and the start of a shared life. It suits someone you hope will have many ordinary, peaceful days ahead.
A word to keep
青海波
seigaiha
Blue sea waves. Also the name of a gagaku court dance, performed in pairs.
