Bundled noshi

熨斗 noshi

Bundled ribbons of noshi (taba-noshi 束熨斗) are a lucky kimono pattern for celebrations; the long strips stand for long life and lasting ties.

Edo period kimono design (18th century), Kyoto yūzen

Bundled noshi strips (taba-noshi) became a lavish kimono design in the mid-Edo period. The best-known example, an 18th-century yūzen-dyed furisode in the Kyoto National Museum (Important Cultural Property), gathers the strips at the shoulder and sweeps them across the body, each filled with pine, bamboo, plum, cranes, phoenixes and waves. The motif borrows the noshi's link with gifts and long life.

Still a favourite for furisode, wedding robes and celebratory furoshiki.