燕
THE MEANINGS WOVEN IN
tsubame
A wish for a safe return, spring after spring.
Swallow
Journeys and returns →01
Where it comes from
Swallows arrive just as the willows come into bud, and in Japan and China they have been greeted as the birds that bring the spring. They build nests under the eaves of houses, raise their young, and fly south again in autumn. In China the swallow was known as a messenger of love, and in Japan, because the pair take turns carrying food to the nest, it became a bird for wedding wishes. As a pattern, it is most often paired with willow, as a sign that spring has come.
02
On the cloth
With their quick, clean flight, swallows have been a favorite design for early summer. On one obi, swallows fly over stripes, and the stripes can be read as falling rain. They are often drawn with butterflies.
03
To give
Swallows suit a spring start, or two people beginning life together. It is a gift for someone you hope will come back safely, season after season.
A word to keep
濡れ燕
nure-tsubame
A swallow wet with rain. A way of seeing swallows on stripes, with the stripes as falling rain.
Two questions
What does the Swallow (燕) pattern mean?
A wish for a safe return, spring after spring. Swallows suit a spring start, or two people beginning life together.
Where does the 燕 pattern come from?
Swallows arrive just as the willows come into bud, and in Japan and China they have been greeted as the birds that bring the spring. They build nests under the eaves of houses, raise their young, and fly south again in autumn.
