THE MEANINGS WOVEN IN
縞
shima
A wish for good things to reach you from far shores.
Stripes
Journeys and returns →01
Where it comes from
Shima are stripes: long lines running side by side, lengthwise, crosswise, or both. Until the Middle Ages, lengthwise stripes were called suji and crosswise ones dan; then striped cloth brought by sea from the southern islands came to be called shimamono, island goods, and the name is said to have stayed. Changing the number and order of colored threads gives countless kinds, from the near-plain fine lines of mansuji to bold bars and stripes that taper like falling water. One old stripe, two thick lines with a fine one between, was used at weddings and read as two parents and the life they carry.
02
On the cloth
On obi, stripes may stand alone in bold bars, or slant across the cloth beneath other motifs. Here, in black, white, and gold, slanting stripes meet waves; and on a large cushion, bands of purple-navy and gold stripes frame chrysanthemums and peonies on vermilion.
03
To give
Stripes suit a wedding, a move far away, or someone who loves things that came from across the sea. It is a gift for someone setting out, and for those waiting for them to come back.
A word to keep
島物
shimamono
Island goods. Striped cloth brought by sea from the southern islands, said to have given stripes their name.
Two questions
What wish can the Stripes (縞) pattern carry?
A wish for good things to reach you from far shores. Stripes suit a wedding, a move far away, or someone who loves things that came from across the sea.
Where does the 縞 pattern come from?
Shima are stripes: long lines running side by side, lengthwise, crosswise, or both. Until the Middle Ages, lengthwise stripes were called suji and crosswise ones dan; then striped cloth brought by sea from the southern islands came to be called shimamono, island goods, and the name is said to have stayed.
