conversations
For this installment, I would like to
discuss a very popular and enduring set of imagery,
collectively known under three takara headings: takarazukushi,
shippou (shichihou, nanatsutakara),
and takarabune.
Takara means
“treasure”.
Takarazukushi is a compound word that,
with a little license, means “treasures - all and
sundry”. So, as it happens, takarazukushi may include any
and every traditionally used treasure image or concept. A great
many items, indeed!
This beautiful contemporary furisode has just
about everything anyone could want and is an excellent example
of takarazukushi.
Shippou, shichihou, and sometimes
nantasutakara, are all different
ways of reading the same set of Chinese characters. Whichever
pronunciation you choose to use, it means
“seven-treasures”. As you might guess, it includes
a select seven from the above group. The traditional Buddhist
version includes gold (kin), silver (gin), lapis (ruri), crystal
(hari), giant clam (shako), coral (sango), and agate (menou). However, more commonly included are seven of
the following: mallet (tsuchi), cape (minou), hat (kasa), cloves (chouji), key (kagi), scroll (makimono),
“ball of fire” (houju), wings (hane), and money bag (fukuro). The total is always seven, but artists use a
great deal of discretion in choosing which to include.
A few sample treasures:
magatama -
an ancient bead
tsuchi -
mallet, which when struck grants all the bearer’s
wishes.[See also the key to the treasure house (above left) and
the shippou symbol (below right)].
fukuro -
money bag (see also the coral)
kasa -
hat of invisibility
Houju are depicted as a ball of flames,
or as a circle of flames, representing all one's heart may
desire.
Interlocking circles form a pattern known
as “shippou”, a sort of shorthand for all seven
treasures.
How many of these “treasures”
can you identify?
