renjumon 連珠文

Also *shumon 珠文. A design pattern that uses circles to represent pearls which are arranged in a line or circle. Within the circles are often depictions of a mounted hunter, flowering plants, birds or animals. The pattern originated in Persia and entered Japan through China. It is found on textiles in *Shōsōin 正倉院 and Hōryūji 法隆寺 in Nara, one example being the lion hunting design brocade shishigarimon nishiki 獅子狩文錦. It is also found on rooftiles and in *kōhai 光背, the halos on Buddhist statuary. The ruizamon 累座文 is similar, but has spaces equal to two or three "pearls" in a circular arrangement of renjumon.