Hemp leaf

麻の葉 asanoha

Hemp leaf

Hemp grows fast and straight, so this six-pointed leaf star wishes children strong, healthy growth and wards off evil; a classic for baby clothes and gifts for newborns.

Ancient Asian geometric; in Japan from the Heian period (794–1185)

The six-pointed star lattice was used across ancient Asia, but only in Japan was it read as hemp leaves. It appears on the robes of Buddhist statues from the Heian to Muromachi periods. It became a craze in the Edo period, when the kabuki onnagata Iwai Hanshirō promoted it on stage, and because hemp grows tall and straight it became the standard pattern for babies' and children's clothes.

Still the default motif for newborn gifts and children's items, and used in dyeing, paper and kumiko woodwork.

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.