Checkerboard

市松 ichimatsu

Checkerboard

Alternating squares that continue without end suggest prosperity and growth; named after the Edo kabuki actor Sanogawa Ichimatsu.

Ancient checker (ishidatami); named in Edo, mid-18th century

Checkerboards were long known as ishidatami ('paving stones') and used in court yūsoku decoration, architecture and gardens. In the mid-18th century the kabuki actor Sanogawa Ichimatsu I (1722–62) wore a hakama in the pattern, Edo townspeople copied it, and his name stuck. In the Meiji period it was also called Genroku-mon.

A checkered ichimatsu in indigo was chosen as the emblem of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, reviving wide popularity, also boosted by the anime Demon Slayer.

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.