Also written 甃文. Also arare 霰 or *ichimatatsu 市松. A checkerboard pattern named for its resemblance to paving stones ishidatami 石畳. A type of traditional design based on Heian court decoration *yūsoku mon'yō 有職文様. The pattern can be found on the clothing of haniwa 埴輪 figurines (mid-4th century to early 7th century), and on dyed textiles from the *Shōsōin 正倉院. In the 9th century, Heian courtiers alternatively called a small checkerboard pattern arare, a term meaning hail or small rice-cake cubes. The ishidatami pattern continued to be popular, and was favored by both aristocrats and warriors. Widely used in the middle ages on clothing, in particular, nō costumes *nōshōzoku 能装束, lacquer ware *urushi-nuri 漆塗, as well as architectural decoration in the Edo period. A variety of fabric designs that run motifs over a checkerboard pattern ground also became popular in the Edo period.
