Keywords
Art History
Painting
A broad range of decorative designs which are thought to bring good fortune. Many were brought to Japan from China but some developed in Japan. There are three main types of kisshōmon: 1) designs that are in themselves considered to be symbols of good fortune such as the crane-and-turtle tsuru-kame 鶴亀 and precious objects takarazukushi 宝尽; 2) the phoenix design hōōmon 鳳凰文 (see *hōō 鳳凰) or floating chrysanthemum design *kikusuimon 菊水文; 3) designs whose pronunciation echoes or approximates a common congratulatory word or phrase, and so became a favored symbol among the warrior class. Native kisshōmon include Mt Fuji 富士, the hawk taka 鷹, and the eggplant nasubi 茄子. See *ichi-Fuji, ni-taka, san-nasubi 一富士二鷹三茄子.