Makie 蒔絵

Makie（蒔絵）

All designs used in makie on Original Series originated in ancient Japan.  

Uchidenokozuchi（打ち出の小槌）  Click here to see the image of Uchidenokozuchi design.

Legendary mallet of luck counted among items of Takarazukushi（宝尽くし: Full of Treasuers）.  Legend has it that swinging it will give you what you want or make your dream come true.  This is one of the standard items of Daikokuten（大黒天), who is one of Shichifukujin 七福神: Seven Lucky Deities）, and the symbol of fortune.  It also appears in Japanese fairy tales and folklores such as Issunnboushi（一寸法師: One-Inch Boy）and Momotaro（桃太郎: Peach Boy）.  Sometimes it is depicted as demon’s treasure. 

Tsubaki（椿）Click here to see the image of Tsubaki design.

Japanese camellia.  In Japan, tsubaki has been considered auspicious tree because it remains green throughout the year, its oil is good for skin, it was used as medicine as well as oil to light, and all these things have been asociated with mysterious power.

According to one theory, just a small part of people began to take the popular belief in Meiji era for truth.  The belief had it that samurai/ bushi had disliked this flower due to its way of falling which was associated with beheadal. The belief might have led to or brought about the taboo of tsubaki as a gift for sick people.

However, there was also a counter belief that, hoping to win the battle, some samurai stuck tsubaki on the ground of their property before going to the battle field.  In addition, it is said that samurai loved tsubaki for its nobleness because its flowers fall without scattering petals.  In Edo period, breed improvement of tsubaki among others was carried out in many places including gardens of samurai residences.

Tsubaki has traditionally been a popular design in Japan, and its nobleness is considered to have attracted samurai. 

Gunbai（軍配）Click here to see the image of Gunbai design.

Military leader’s fan counted among items of Takarazukushi（宝尽くし: Full of Treasuers）.  It is short for gunbaiuchiwa（軍配団扇）and sometimes called dansen（団扇: fan）.  Because ‘fan’ (verb) in Japanese was associated with deity for its pronunciation, gunbai is said to be an object representative of a divine spirit, yorishiro（依代）.  Samurai used gunbai in a battle as a command tool as well as a kind of shield, while they also used it in camp as an umpire’s fan in sumo wrestling.  Originated in commander’s tool, gunbai designis also associated with intellectual powers and decisiveness.  

Tsuru（鶴）Click here to see the image of Tsuru design.

Japanese Crane.   

Kame（亀）Click here to see the image of Kame design.

Turtle.

“Cranes live for thousand years, and Turtles live for ten thousand years” is an old saying in Japan. However, unlike other makie designs in the Original Series, these two designs, as well as the above saying, were introduced from China in Aska period.  Since then, they have been regarded as symbols of longevity, solid pledge (in a set of a turtle and crane, or a couple of cranes), cooperation, and the like.

More designs will be applied in the future.

We are flexible in designs of makie.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any question.