Gourd

瓢箪 hyōtan

Gourd

Six gourds (mubyō) sound like 'no illness', so gourds wish health; they also stand for business success.

Sengoku period association with Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Gourds were used as water and sake flasks, and the motif became famous through Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–98), whose battle standard was a gourd. Legend says his men raised gourds on spears after taking Inabayama Castle in 1567. Edo-period stories that he added a gourd for every victory, up to a thousand (sennari-byōtan), are a later invention, but they fixed the gourd as a sign of success. The pun on six gourds (mubyō, 'no illness') is a separate folk wish.

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.