# Rose

薔薇 bara

![Rose](https://www.furoshiki.com/motifs/bara.svg)

A Western flower taken up in Meiji-era and modern Japanese design; romantic and decorative rather than traditionally symbolic.

Native wild roses noted from the Man'yōshū (8th century); Western garden roses from late Edo and Meiji

Wild roses (ubara or ibara) are mentioned in the Man'yōshū and in Heian classics such as the Kokinshū, The Tale of Genji and The Pillow Book, but they were never a major symbolic motif. Western rose varieties arrived from the Edo period on, and roses became a fashionable Western-style pattern in modern kimono and textiles.

Rare in classic designs but common in modern yukata and furoshiki, often with Western meanings such as love.

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Source: https://www.furoshiki.com/motifs/bara/