Sacred Textile Banners of Japan

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings Textile Society of America 1996 Sacred Textile Banners of Japan Monica Bethe Textile Society of America Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf Bethe, Monica, "Sacred Textile Banners of Japan" (1996). Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings. 864. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf/864 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Textile Society of America at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. .-~:;r=Saced Textile Banners of Japan Exploratory rather than definitive, this paper summarizes some controlling concepts that inform the sacred banners of Japan, touching particularly on their form, function, and fabrics used in early banners. Interwoven with my ideas are some of the concerns that came up in discussion (small print), reflecting the pan-Asian implications of the topic. SHORT HISTORY. Banners traveled to Japan with the earliest nl\':.~i introduction of Buddhism. The Chronicles of Japan record c.or that in 552 the king of Paekche sent the essential trappings Th ~ of Buddhism to Emperor Kinmei of Japan: a gilt bronze image to worship, sutras (scriptures) to chant, and canopies and banners for adornment and ceremonial functions. 1 Then r:l rince Shotoku (572-621) made Buddhism the state religion ~ in 607 founded the monastery of H6ryuji, which p).e~\vs till today the oldest banners and the oldest deP'i\!10n of banners in Japan. 2 of the seventh century banners parallels The co~struin that of 6th and 7th c. Chinese banners, as found in Dunhuang and Turfan and as depicted on the walls of the Buddhist ba:ly caves dotting the Silk Road. All the components of the ~MeI baner are present: head, tongue, arms, segmented body ~ and multiple legs. Large numbers of such banners were \:J l.. made in the late seventh and the eighth century and many & have been preserved both at H6rytlji and at the Sh6s6in Repository of the temple of the great Buddha, T6daiji. Although the basic elements remain constant, the proportions of the banners and some fabrics change over the years, reflecting changes in Chinese styles. extension arms wide boarders Shosoin closed, equilateral attached ol'ytlji s\)r\e bQnner narrow elongated panels single piece legs or 5 near-square joined-cloth most every type 0 SI weave,sur ace ecoration tec lque and braid (see Kinoshita essay) found in textiles of the ancient period (7th-8th c.) are represented in the banners. Thus, the possibility of dating banners through tracing the evolution of their form, verified by inscriptions and temple 5hosoi 1"\ records, has provided scholars with an invaluable key to style dating textiles in general. 3 'banner *+~IE-kH)K f *+*+*+*+*+*+*+ Whether the anthropomorphic labels used by the Japanese, Chinese (and Tai) for the parts of the banner were symbolic or merely conventional (as the Japanese profess) became a recurrent topic in the discussions after my speech. I suspect the terms to be Chinese. Parallels with the Yogic concepts of centers energy in the body were suggested. These concepts would have traveled east by way of Tibetan Buddhism. *+*+*+)1( I *+51E~( I I*+*+*+51E+*+*+* Textile Society of America Proceedings 9 Unfortunately essentially no textiles remain from the 9th-12th centuries (Heian period) due to the destruction and the dispersion of court culture connected with the civil wa ending in 1185. Although actual examples Heian banners'-+~=r" no longer exist, painted depictions verify a continuation of the same format and extensive use for a variety of purposes. Thirteenth century Japanese banners, of which a numb~ are preserved abroad as well as in Japan, reveal a ve~ fixed, balanced form with three, essentially square segments making up the body.4 The majority of these banners are embroidered with Buddhist figures and symbols and contain the intriguing element of rendering the hair with actual human hair, possibly from the devotee. Later banners may have arms folded in along the sides. Extant banners from the early sixteenth century and on (see Maruyama essay) Ibi.:bC . are often assembled from scraps of garments dedicated to w;t~ the temple for the repose of a soul. Similar recycling can be re.c..yded seen in Buddha's injunctions to patch together the go.rmen-ts mendicant's robe (kesa) from various types of cast-off rags. 1 \ ~ qt~i\' So far I have not come across scriptures detailing the construction of a banner, naming its parts, or prescribing the materials of its construction. Japanese today do not feel there are set rules, only customs. Recycling may have been operative from early on. There are 8th c. examples of the same fabric being used in banners and for cushion covers, but we also know that new fabric was produced specifically for banners. Left over scraps must have been used. O~+t FUNCTIONS Banners appear in and around a temple ground, some hung ~-"'r_,yemant1 others hung for special occasions, and still others '.lI--1I'"--JooI>'-"""'arried in ceremonies. Materials include cloth, metal, wood, ewels, rope and paper. Easy to store, they impart a grandiose ~", ...It ,impact when unfurled. Symbolic import based on th . .-=~ -scriptures authorizes their use. Temple adornment (hiKe Most commonly, banners are found decorating the holy area t>a inti 6t\ Ma.nd~\<x hung above, beside and around a Buddhist image. As such 'bmo.m:.Ri 1'too they evoke a vision of Buddha's world where celestial beings, Shrine ~. Buddhas, bodhisatvas and other enlightened 'souls' reside in perpetual beauty among fragrant flowers, gleaming jewels and sweet music. Banners are described as adoring the holy stupa in the sky, and as offered in homage to the Buddha, incurring merit to the donor. The adornment is perpehIally perpetrated through fresh offerings and supplication. ~o.dn <;u+ro.. 12"t-h c . In front of Buddha a Stupa ... sprang up ... decorated wih precious things ... and countless banners and flags and jewel garlands ... All ... paid homage to the stupa with flowers, perfumes, garlands, streamers, canopies, and music... Everywhere jewel-decked awnings were spread, banners and canopies hung ... 5 10 Sacred and Ceremonial Textiles r+sub~­ ShllY'lC\.. Sn{'iV\€., The origins for this vision can be found in India in the decoration of the holy stupa with flowers and streamers, both generally offerings. Along the same lines, in Japan for special services a normal room may be converted into a holy area by hanging cloth and flowers in the form of banners and garlands (keman) along the beams. V ka.S:Il~ . I~ 9 o,,",qe')k, "The close connection between the banner and the stupa rises in part from the stupa as a representation of the Buddha, fittingly adorned with signs of Indian royalty, such as canopies, banners and flowers and jewels. Buddha is shown preaching and meditating under canopies hung with banners. In Japanese temples banners (or jewel bells) hang at the corners of canopies set above the Buddhist image, the altar implements (esoteric), and above priest's seat. The canopy bedecked with banners can be traced also, I believe, to a central story of Buddhism, that of Shakyamuni sitting under the Bodhi tree, fighting off the many temptations of the Mara and finally at dawn defeating them by revealing to them the banner, or the light, of his wisdom. His Enlightenment is synonymous with the unfurling of the banner that dispels Chaos and establishes Order. In Mahayana Buddhism, the Buddha Ratnaketu-- "jewel banner" or "jewel light" (ketu meaning both banner and light) embodies this banner of light appearing with the first rays of the sun (Agni, or fire, in the Vedic world), the revelation of the Dharma, the light of Wisdom that severs and dispels the darkness of ignorance.6 lAs pointed out at the conference, the banner as ketu also becomes the central shaft, or axis mundi I Representing the sun's rays with strips of cloth might be best effected with long narrow strips, and such streamers can be seen, for instance in the Indian practice of hanging narrow strips of cloth from the sacred bodhi tree to memorialize Shakyamlmi's enlightenment? In a Chinese metal repouse we see the Buddha sitting under a canopy-like tree strung with pendants and tassels. (Here I use "pendant" for dangling decorations, often stones or beads, "streamer" for long strips of cloth straight off the loom, and "tassel" for appendages to larger objects/ In an 8th century embroidery of the Buddha Preaching (Nara National Museum) we see him lmder a "jewel" tree whose branches are entwined with a canopy and strung with tassels. Dlmhuang relics and wall paintings show the Buddha siting lmder a canopy with banner-like tassels forming a fringe and classic banners (with heads, arms and legs) hlmg at the comers. , ~i -~ S~-\.ec c...''''y(Q;",Sui) 'C"~I. Sct~\JO:lho. q:n ......,,"JeC-r..."''1") ~ri Co.V\opv e._'?~id,y .,"~y ~ w/iog~fi, (<<t\. ..' t-'b,~f C(1"'Q~ .. (1)u"nM~ "'o.l\~ o'\. ) Textile Society of America Proceedings 11 In 12th century Japanese depictions of the Pure Land the canopy is often a roof with tassel-barmers hangulg along the rim and standard banners (or bells) from the eaves. 9 Banners may appear again in the bottom section of these paintings, p~tiCUlary of illustrations of the Garland or Lotus Sutras where figures offer ba ers, gaining merit and opening an avenue for mortals to evenhlally enter ~e ~r1asting world of bliss. !/; /=i~ considering the banner context, a cluster of imagery emerges: /fee, stupa, canopy, banner, streamer, jeweled pendants, bells. //0 elescoping and magnification operate. Microcosms contain ~ I;. acrocosms and a part may not only stand for the whole, o ut incorporate the whole within it. Just as the stupa signifies (;:;) ; e axis mtmdi, the Buddha, the tree of life, and a multiplicity ~ ~ ..~ f other things, so also the triangular-headed banner "<;:S' / ecorating the stupa replicates the pagoda (stupa) form, and ~. ight thereby signify it. On some later banners the imagery !~" 'fIlay be regenerated with the banner containing a depiction 'Bt,~ bf a pagoda, or of yet another banner.lO i (J /, I ~()dr.ic;a-\N' Ul''''- 'no\d,,)4,CL 'oo.nY'"e r 10. ¥\v $fum) 1)v'\~uol!3CSe !I'tesc.o I Ku(.~'t "It:!.c. Baruiers as weapons against evil The obvious military implications of the banner used to vanquish the evil enemy echoes secular uses of the banner, as a standard to rally forces in battle. Military imagery can be found elsewhere in the sutras. The Holy Teachings of the Vimalakirti describe how the Bodhisattvas "raise their standard (banners) on the field of enlightenment."l1 The Kyoyo shinsho presents religious endeavor as a metaphorical battle, stating that prayer " is like the banner of the brave warrior because it can disperse the entire army of evil spirits"12 Various of the guardian deities that inhabit the Buddhist world appear dressed in armor and some carry flags: squares of cloth with appended strips. These flags, attached at two corners to a pole or spear, are the horizontal counterpart to the vertical banner and their prototype can be seen in Chinese war flags. Wielded against evil, the flags hold the enemy at bay as Bishamonten does in the Hekija-e: Painting of the Annihilations of the Demons (12th c., Nara National Museum). The spears of guardians, even when not equipped with square-tailed flags, generally have at least a strip of cloth tied to them and flapping in the wind. The prototyp for such simple flags can be seen on the walls of Ajunta, India. ~ ~- ~ ~ ~ c.~' \4~kijl-e (\7.~c) ~e.c:;- f'1"7I~ Depictions of Shakyamuni and 16 heavenly beings (Shaka ~ jO.roku zenshino ) show him flanked on one side by a figure holding a vertical banner and on the other one holding a ~i:!1e ~ horizontal flag. Although there is no absolute correspondence, "t\0-j" generally a gentle figure holds the banner, a military figure ft)U'<ltrt. the flag. (Everywhere bodhisattvas hold vertical banners only) 12 Sacred and Ceremonial Textiles These paintings were set up for the recitation of the Heart Sutra (dai haIwya kyo ) to avert calamity. The depicted ,-.~:;tI banners here serve two ends: to protect against evil ~ encroachment and to mark the identity of the crowd of figures. ~." l"'-:~ ~'Bo. nne r-s ~\ClV'k S\'cd<:y ~ IA "" L ~ ~3[ Hor~"i; Banners as ensigns and to lead processions .~ 'If c. Held high the banner is a signpost calling all to a gatherin~ For processions banners are carried like standards and function as an ensign of the presence of the Buddha or Bodhisattva. The Buddhist iconography derives from ancient Indian practice, where the king's entourage usually carried a canopy over the king to keep him in the shade and a banner to announce his presence. A similar function informs the custom in Tang China, recorded by the Japanese monk Ennin, of flying banners from tall temple buildings to advertise the presence of a holy spot, much as a medieval castle flew pendants from its towers.13 Today for festivals, Japanese fly long strips of five colors stitched into a tubular form at one tlAI<.i r4.Jl1sh: end (fuskinagashi ) from high poles. 14 The ftmction as an ensign is acted out in ritual processions f~r;, and depicted in paintings. Particularly beautiful examples Ko.:z...', L '7~c. . can be seen in the Pure Land Buddhist raigo, or Descent of Buddha (usually Amida) ceremonies and paintings. ~tr Surrounded by a host of 25 Bodhisattvas Amida descends to transport the deceased to his Pure Land. Among the host is always one Bodhisattva who leads carrying a canopy to~ pace ro.ijo,c. over the decease d,and another wi th a b anner waving in t h e breeze. / /7 ~ -~/ Banners to measure out and mark sacred space For festivals and rituals banners are set up to mark out sacrea o space: usually circumscribing the precincts, or at least standing "r::t at the cardinal directions, and lining the sides of the approach. 0 They may be hung from long poles set in ground foundations, 0 or from the rafters of buildings. The hundreds of banners " 0 0 o made for the inauguration ceremony, or Eye Opening, of the o 0 Great Buddha at T6daiji in 752 must have been used, in part 6 0 at least, to establish the sacred area. When recently they celebrated the reroofing of T6daiji with gala performances o . reminiscent of the 752 celebration, they hung large replicas ~:(';t of 8th c. banners on high poles set along the approach and Bo. .......... er \ 0 ~ about the precincts as well as from the eaves of the building. s-r-o...H 10 (\\"\Yle'S The banner poles (both stationary and carried) have intricately (1400.""" modeled heads, the most popular form being in the shape of Ko"~) Pt,+M\l~" a dragon. From the dragon's mouth the banner streams 12.n~ \ 1,'I!- c. downward. Protectors of Buddhism, dragons are creatures ot::J 0 C) Textile Society of America Proceedings 13 ¥v' of the clouds and water who control the rainfall. They been depided spurting water over the new-b«! Shakyamuni. 15 The imagery is repeated when large ban~r (daikanjoban) are placed over the head of an initiate durilg~ an ordination ceremony, during which his head is sprinkle~ with water. Banners as ceremonial tools Banners may be carried during a ceremony and used symbolically. In some ordinations (kanjo) the banner is made to flow over the forehead of the ordained thus transmitting the virtue of the Buddha inherent in the banner to the initiate. 16 The popular use of banners for ordinations in the early Japanese Buddhism is reflected in there being 14 kanjc5 banners dated to 747 at Horyfi.ji and 12 of the same date at Dainj~ and many more from 757 in the Shosoin. ~} 'G' ~j).r' ~ ~, ,-J - '-,---" '!j (§ f-nl=:c~orpated .k. ~ =1~!:atend bg~ 10 "''''., er Hi5r~4; Offeratory banners Offering bam1ers to gain merit and ensure success gave birth to a variety of specific types of offertory banners (see Takeda ~\Jdcl. ~o. essay).17 The use of an offertory banner constitutes a prayer ·1~S.+for the soul of the maker, the person for whom it was made, 00("11'\.. >~ and any person whose belongings (hair, garment) are (Chi",,,/! ~oal:.c) in the banner. At the same time it brings them merit. An obvious and early form of supplication with banners was to pray for health. Already in the 3rd c. Be King Ashoka .s said to have had a miraculous recovery from severe sickness by having banners set on the posts of his bed. His life was xtended 12 years.18 Banners for the dead (semmoia or myc5kaban) assure extra merit in after life. A number of banners, one from 688,inscribed with the name of the deceased, the word myokaban remain in Horyfi.ji. They are mostly plain weave, solid color banners with spindly arms and some have filled in heads (unusual for Horyfi.ji banners). For funerals today, plain strips of inscribed white cloth are slung from poles and carried in the ftmerary procession, one at each of the four corners of the coffin. Prayers for the dead continue at set intervals. In 757 Japan held a state rihlal to memorialize the first anniversary of the death of Emperor Shomu. For this, records indicate that over 2500 banners VO+\\lfbonner were used, most produced in the space of one year. Some (no\':'o ... ~) remian in the Shosoin, others were sent as thank you payment to the provinces. TEXTILES BANNERS at Horyfi.ji and the Shos6in. The vast majority of the extant 7th and 8th century textiles of Japan are preserved in Horyflji and the Shosoin. While the former include banners possibly from as 14 Sacred and Ceremonial Textiles early as the 650s, most of the banners in the Shosoin were made in the 750s, many produced for two state-wide gala ceremonies: the Eye Opening of the Great Buddha (752) and the First Anniversary of the Death of Emperor Shomu (757).19 Even in the five years between these two ceremonies, dynamic changes can be seen in the textile techniques and patterns. TYPES OF FABRIC IN BANNERS20 Horyiiji Shosoin I plain weave :solid color, crepe, ikat I plain weave, solid color, crepe lnishiki* Inishiki laya** laya Igauze TYPES OF SURF ACE DESIGN Horyiiji I embroidery, ink Shosoin I embroidery, painting, block resist, bind resist, wax resist (hand painted, block printed (stenciling?) ,gold painting *NISHIKI FABRICS WITH MULTICOLORED PATTERN WARP OR WEFT Horyiiji Shosoin 752 I warp nishiki I I warp & weft I Shosoin 757 **AYA: I mostly weft I geometric links I I geometric links I I I beaded medallions I I a few medallions I karahana I I karahana FIGURED FABRICS (TWILL PATTERN ON PAIN GROUND, OR AGAINST TWILL IN THE SAME OR THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION) Horyiiji Shosoin 752 Shosoin 757 I plain ground I mostly plain I some twill I mostly twill I some plain I geometric links I geometric links I I geometric links I beaded medallions I I I beaded medallions I karahana I I karahana The implications in the shift from warp to weft patterning, from multicolored to single color weft patterning, from Persian-inspired designs to Chinese and their Japanization, etc. are discussed in detail by Japanese scholars. 21 Topics touched on include imported versus Japanese-produced cloth, technique and weave structure; also sociological implications such as the textile artisans employed by the central court, the dissemination of techniques to the provinces, and the role of tax and tribute paid in cloth. Rather than repeat this information, I would like to pose a few questions . ............................................. The early ikat found in the kanto (or kanton) banners of Horyuji (now at Tokyo National Museum) and the few fragments of multicolored ikat in the Shosoin were probably imported. From where? Uemura Rokuro suggests that the argument that the name "Kanton" reflects their origin in Canton, i.e. South China, is simplistic.22 He points out smilarities in motif to Tai and Indian ikat. Similarities to modem Afghan ikatwere mentioned in the conference. ************************************************** Kyokechi, or block resist, described and illustrated in Ms. Bernard's presentation, is the most frequent form of surface decoration on Shosoin banners. Introduced Textile Society of America Proceedings 15 from Tang China (only a few, very simple examples remain), it flourished with highly sophisticated results for a short period in the 8th century, but then died out, except for a very simplified process known as itajime restricted to decorating linings for aristocratic ladies. Several attempts have been made to reconstruct the old technique. Yamanobe Tomoyuki investigates the Indian origins of block resist. 23 Takada Yoshio describes his reconstruction experiments for the Ise fabrics. 24 A major difference between the Ise pieces and the Shosoin pieces is that the former uses the cloth flat, while the latter created symmetrical patterns through folds, and possibly used a system of stacking blocks so more fabrics could be dyed at once. **************************************************** What did "Five Color Banners" (goshiki ban) look like? Were they five different solid color banners? Or are the many banners with strips of different color legs in the Horyfiji Five Color Banners? What about those with blocks of different plain colors composing the body (Horyfiji and Dunhuang)? Was the diagonal division of banner sections merely aesthetic? ********************************* ********** ***** Are the single panel gauze banners with fluted diamond lozenges ( a pattern found only on the 757 Shosoin banners) a variation on the diagonal theme, or do they represent a more general flower-in-diamond motif, possibly inspired by the lotus-in-square motif found in Buddhist iconography? There is no way of telling whether the 8th c. Japanese understood the original intent of the motifs they were copying. Japanese today tend not to want to read symbolism into motifs, but rather to enjoy their visual interplay. Instinctively they view decorative elements with an emotive response. Patterns evoke poetic allusions, seasonal ambiences. Matsumoto (1984) suggests this native instinct can be seen already in the Japanization of the Persian motifs on the banners made in 757. Yet one wonders whether, for instance, the "arrow" (chevron) pattern used for many of the flat braids was not a protective device to "shoot off" encroaching evil. Banner associations with the five elements are intreguing, but so far unresearched, to my knowledge: Fire (ketu :agni), water (dragons), wood (cloth, dyes), metal (decorative elements), earth (marking out areas. And air: wind. See note 14. Were there sewing stipulations for banners? Who did the sewing? How were the materials chosen? How were they given body: we see paper lining reinforcement,bamoo stifeners, metal reinforcement, double thickness for heads, and strengthening through embroidery and patchwork layering. Obviously the choice of stiffer fabrics, like nishiki for boarders, heads, and weights at the end of the feet must also be considered. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Finally, both in China and Japan textile banners remained abstract patchworks of color and shape until the mid to late in the 8th century.25 Perhaps the earliest painted representational banner is one in the Shosoin showing a seated Bodhisattva in each of the four sections of the banner body. Of slightly later date are the many stunning banners of painted figures found in Khocho and Dunhuang including some elaborately articulated banner mandalas.26 The new emphasis 16 Sacred and Ceremonial Textiles put on painting by the esoteric (Tantric) sects must have contributed to the sudden outburst of these representational banners and presumably to a shift in their use. Extant 13th century Japanese embroidered banners clearly function as a canvas for figures that might be hung in the altar, and not merely as decorations around itP These banners are similar to embroidered hanging scrolls of the period. 28 ~ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• T ••T ••• 1 W.e. Aston, Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to AD. 697 (Vermont and Tokyo, Tuttle. 1972) Vol. 2p. 65. Another present, from Silla, sent in 622 included 13 banners (p.149) 2 The Tamamushi zushi, a portable shrine of Lady Tachibana with paintings on its sides. One depicts Buddha preaching to the dragon king in a pavillion with banners hanging from its pillars. 3 This field has been well researched by such Japanese textile historians as Matsumoto Kaneo, [including "Shosoin no senshokuban, zengohen" (The Textile Banners of the Shosoin) in Shosoin nempo (Annual Report on the Shosoin) vol. 3&4 (Nara: Office of the Shosain, Imperial Household Agency, 1981-82). Shosoin no nishiki ,no 293 of Nihon no bijutsu, ( Tokyo: Shibundo, 1990) and Shosoin no senshoku, no102 of Nmon no bijutsu (Tokyo: Shibundo 1964). Aslo Okumura Hideo, ''Nmon jodai no ban ni tsuite" (Japanese Banners of the Ancient Period) in Horyoji kenno komotsu: senshoku I (Treasures from the Horyiiji: Textiles I) (Tokyo National Museum, 1986). Sawada Mutsuyo, including "Senshoku: genshi kodai" (Textiles: prehistoric and ancient periods )no. 263 in Nmon no bijutsu (Tokyo: Shibundo, 1988) and various reports on restoration of banners in Museum (Tokyo National Museum, 1992, 1994,1995). A good English language reference is Matsumoto K., Jodaigire (Kyoto: Shikosha, 1984) and his article "The construction of Ancient Cloth Banners: Horyiiji style and Shosoin style" inThe treasures of the Shosoin: buddhist and Ritual Implements, Mitsumori M, ed. (Ky.oto: Shikosha) 1993. 4 Hickman, M. "Notes on Buddhist Banners" Boston Museum Bulletin 71 (1973) #363 P 4-20. Kitamura, T. " On the Embroidered Banners in the Henushi Shrine" Bijutsushi Vol 7 No.2 (1957) p. 59-68. Shubutsu (Tokyo: Kadokawa shoten 1964). The Three-fold Lotus Sutra ( Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Co., 1975) p. 5 Kato, B. et al tr. 195-6,198. 6 Snodgrass, A., The Symbolism of the Stupa (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell U. SEAsia Program 1985) p. 172. 7 Sekine, S. Butsu/bosatsu to donai no shogon, Nihon no bijutsu #281 (Tokyo: Shibundo, 1989) p. 94, fig. 14. Sanskrit words for banner include: 1) ketu, (J:bukki fA1il) discussed earlier. 2) hvaja (J: do .), hung from a pillar or pole and symbolizing the virtue of the law that wardsoff evil. 3)pataka, (J: ban . ) banners of merit. Numerous variations exist in Japan and according to Sekine(1989:93) even in India they are not strictly distinguished . 8 9 Bells or bell pendants are common today. often had bells for arms and legs. Early banners, particularly metal ones, 10 9th and 10th c. Chinese banners abound in depictions of figures carrying banners. For interesting Tai parallels see Gittinger,M. & Lefferts, L. Textiles and the Tai Experience in Southeast Asia (The Textile Museum, Washington nc. 1992) p130, pi 3.41. 11 Thurman,R. tr. Holy Teachings of the Vimalakirti 1976), p. 68 12 (Vniversity Park, Pen V. Press, Ishida, M. ed., Kyogyo Shinsho (Kyoto: Ryiikoku V., 1966) p. 73 Textile Society of America Proceedings 17 13 Reischauer, E.O. Ennin's diary (New York: Ronald Press, 1955) 14 1he five colors--blue (often represented as green) yellow, red, white and black (often represented as purple). The Japanese trace these to the Ancient Chinesegogyo system of associating the colors with compas directions, virtues, parts of the body, pitches, etc. but the Indians also seem to have had a similar type color association. The fukinagashi, or "blown streamer" has secular and non Buddhist ritual parallels, in particular in April and May for the celebration of Boy's day, many households fly carp streamers (koinobori) with the top-most streamer being the fukinagashi. 15 Legge M. tr. A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms: Fa Hsien's Diary. (N.Y.: Dover Press 1965) p. 66 16 HobOgirin: Dictionnaire EncycJopedique du Bouddhisme d"apres les Sources Chinoises et Japonaises (lAcademie Imperiale du Japon, 1981) p. 49-50. Reischauer 1955, p 302 describes a kanjo baptism wehre "5 jars of water were poured on my head. At night I made offerings to the 12 heavens banners .... " 17 The Ordination Sutra (kanjokyo , Ch. 11) lists the benefits incurred by donating banners. 18 T. 449 stipulates lighting lamps at seven levels and suspending banners of five colors to prolong life and cure illness. Story in Ttt 2040x and 2123x. 19 Mitsumori, M. ed. The Treasures of the Shosoin:: Buddhist and Ritual Implements (Kyoto: shikosha, 1993 )p. 11. As the inscriptions are written in the Chinese cyclical year system, they could be off. 20 These charts are a simplification of Table III in Matsumoto,1984, p 216. 21 See note 3. Recently in English; Matsumoto 1984, Mitsumori 1993, Matsumoto Shosoin Textiles (Kyoto: Kyoto Shoin, 1993). 22 Uemura, R. "Indo no kasuri to sono shiihen "(Indian ikat and its repercussions )Senshoku to Seikatsu no. 11, Winter '75:138-142 23 Yamanobe, T. "Indo no kyokechizomft ( Indian block resist dyeing)Senshoku to Seikatsu no. 11, Winter '75: 133-137 24 Takada, Y. "Kyokechi fukugen no koro " (When I recreated kyokechi) Senshoku to seikats No. 17, Summer '77 p 50-53. 25 Hickman 1973, p. 11-13 26 Today many of these are in the Musee Guimmet in Paris, the British Museum, London, the Otani coleection in the Seoul National Museum, Korea, and the Tokyo National Museum. 27 The embroidered banners at Henushi Shrine are believed to be representations of the 32 lesser deities of the Kongokai, meant to surround the five central figures. See Kitamura Tetsuo, "On the Embroidered Banners in the Henushi Shrine" Bijutsushi: Journal of the Japan Art History Society, Ocober 1957. 28 Indeed the banner and hanging scroll have a related structure. Not only the triangular head and elongated body are similar, but also technical parallels can be seen in the considerations necessary to stabilize the patchwork of different weight cloths and to maintain the shape by strengthening it at the top and weighting it at the bottom. One wonders at the origin of such nonfunctional parts of the hanging scroll as the futai decorative strips descending from the spot where the triangular hanging cords are attached. The fuchin , or supplementary tassels, function like the feet of the banner to stabilize the hanging scroll. 18 Sacred and Ceremonial Textiles