Dragonfly

蜻蛉 tonbo

Dragonfly

The 'victory insect' (kachimushi): it only flies forward, so samurai wore it for courage and victory. It belongs to late summer and autumn.

Ancient (Akitsushima, Kojiki); samurai emblem in the Sengoku period

One of Japan's oldest names, Akitsushima ('dragonfly islands'), appears in the Kojiki. Because a dragonfly darts forward and never backward, warriors called it kachimushi, the 'victory insect', and put it on helmets, sword guards, armour, battle surcoats and horse tack. In the Edo period it passed into everyday kimono, tenugui and children's clothing.

A late-summer and autumn motif on yukata and kimono.

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.