# Mandarin orange (tachibana)

橘 tachibana

![Mandarin orange (tachibana)](https://www.furoshiki.com/motifs/tachibana.svg)

An evergreen citrus believed to be the fruit of eternal youth, so it stands for longevity and prosperity; formal and celebratory.

Native wild citrus; Tajimamori legend in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki (8th century)

In the chronicles, Emperor Suinin sent Tajimamori to the eternal land of Tokoyo for the 'ever-fragrant fruit' (tokijiku no kagu no konomi). He returned after ten years to find the emperor dead; the fruit is identified as tachibana. Tajimamori is still revered as the god of sweets. The evergreen tachibana appears in early Japanese poetry and became a crest of the noble Tachibana family.

A tachibana tree stands before the Shishinden of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and the motif is used on formal and wedding kimono and Hina doll displays.

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