Motifs: Nozarashi

NOZARASHI MOTIF （野晒図）
About kimono, sometimes we come across the motifs of ghost or skull bone. Men's kimono have them comparatively often compared to women's one. If we find them in vintage kimono, the price must be very high for its rarity. Once I have seen a beautiful ghost motif yuzen kimono offered at an auction, pirce was amazingly high. Skull bones motif is called 'Nozarashi', which means ' bodies exposed ('sarasu') in the field ('no'). There are some folk or horror tales about Nozarashi, and it was seem to be popular motif at a term. Nozarashi was considered to be a symbol of the kind, which means the courage or preparedness. Nozarashi motif in the shoubou banten (firemen's jacket) is the very good sample of it.
(source: Ichiroya blog, Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA)

花の時／迷ひしもこの／枯野かな
野晒の扇面 "Nozarashi fan", Edo Period.
江戸時代「八万四千煩悩主人図」豪潮寛海(1749-1835)
source: 佐賀大学付属図書館 貴重書コレクション

喧嘩しないで／くらそじゃないか／すゑはたかいに／この寿かた
伊達政宗遺訓
Don't quarrel my honey, in the end, both of us become such a skeleton.
(Date Masamune's Last Instructions, Sengoku period.)
source: 伊達政宗公遺訓 松島博物館所蔵 （画像は複製をもとに作成）