Jakuchū's rooster

若冲の鶏 jakuchū no niwatori

Jakuchū's rooster

The proud rooster with sweeping tail feathers that the Kyoto painter Itō Jakuchū (1716–1800) painted again and again from the birds he kept. The rooster greets the dawn, so it wishes for a bright start, courage and good fortune.

Kyoto, 18th century, paintings by Itō Jakuchū (1716–1800)

Jakuchū, a Kyoto greengrocer's son turned painter, kept roosters in his garden and studied them for years; roosters fill his Colourful Realm of Living Beings (Dōshoku sai-e) and many single scrolls such as the Met's Hen and Rooster with Grapevine (1792). In 2005–06 Japan's Ministry of the Environment, under minister Yuriko Koike, made a furoshiki from recycled PET with a Jakuchū bird-and-flower design to promote reusable wrapping instead of plastic bags; it was given to Japan's 2006 Winter Olympic and World Cup teams.

The rooster announces the dawn and drives away darkness.

Technique catalog · draft for review

Every way to wrap, carry and wear a furoshiki.

The furoshiki.com archive, sliced into annotated steps with plain directions, plus techniques found in research.