Persimmon flower

柿の花 kaki no hana

A sashiko stitch pattern of small stepped diamonds named after the persimmon blossom; geometric rather than pictorial, with a homely, rural feel.

Sashiko stitching, Edo period onward (northern Japan)

A hitomezashi ('one-stitch') sashiko pattern in which single running stitches on a grid build small stepped diamonds. Sashiko arose in the Edo period as a way to reinforce and layer worn cotton and hemp, and by the Meiji period was winter work in northern farming villages. Many decorative pattern names, like this persimmon flower, come from that rural tradition.

One of the standard patterns in modern sashiko pattern books and kits.