Early 20th Century Japanese Nobori Musha Banner Samurai Family Crest Fabric Handpainted

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Handpainted Boy's Day nobori 幟 (banner) from Japan

Features tsutsugaki 筒描 (paste resist dye technique) imagery of samurai warrior on … Read more Handpainted Boy's Day nobori 幟 (banner) from Japan

Features tsutsugaki 筒描 (paste resist dye technique) imagery of samurai warrior on horseback riding through water.
Large family crest of Ume Mon on top*
Pigment on cotton fabric
Taisho Era (1912-1926)
35 x 345 inch
Ume Mon (ume flower family crest) maeda family crest

Famous "Kamon" of Feudal Samurai Warlords in Japan

武者幟 MUSHA NOBORI
Musha nobori is derived from the samurai flag of the Kamakura period.
It wasn't until the Edo period that people started decorating boys with wishes for their health and success in life.
It became part of the customs to celebrate boys' festival like May dolls and carp streamers.

Dated to the early to mid-20th century, this vintage Japanese textile is a nobori, a long, narrow banner used at festivals and public celebrations. Historically, nobori were used in feudal Japan to denote units within a moving army. Today, nobori are commonly seen in front of businesses and restaurants in lieu of signs or raised on special occasions such as holidays or public announcements. This particular example is hand-painted with natural dyes to depict two impressive samurai warriors beneath a full moon. Likely intended for Boys' Day (Tango no Sekku), the nobori depicts these mythical warriors to confer their strength and fearlessness to one's child. The family crest at the top of the banner is the kamon of the Ashikaga clan, a family line of samurai warriors that rose to prominence in the 14th century under the Muromachi shogunate (1338-1573). A beautiful example of a time-honored tradition, this detailed folk textile looks especially striking as a dramatic wall hanging.

Nobori (幟) is a Japanese banner. They are long, narrow flags, attached to a pole with a cross-rod to hold the fabric straight out and prevent it from furling around the rod; this way, the field is always visible. See less