THE MEANINGS WOVEN IN
矢絣
yagasuri
A wish to keep going forward, without turning back.
Arrow Feathers
01
Where it comes from
The shape is taken from the feathers at the end of an arrow, set in rows that alternate. An arrow, once it leaves the bow, does not come back. It has long been said that brides were given this pattern with a wish for a marriage that would hold. Later it became a favorite of young women setting out to study, worn with hakama.
02
On the cloth
Yagasuri is most often seen on kimono, woven or dyed in stripes of arrow feathers, often in purple or deep red. Here the same forward-pointing rhythm runs as chevrons in red, green, gold, and white, close to arrow feathers in feeling.
03
To give
It suits someone setting out: a new school, a new job, a move to a new city. It is a gift that says, go ahead, and keep going.
