紅葉 | Momiji | Maple Leaves | Patterns #14

Momiji refers to the motif of leaves from the maple tree, often most affiliated with the autumn season when they turn to a beautiful red and are shed onto the floor. The most commonly used in Wafuku is the Kaede leaf (Acer Japonicum).[1] Other popular motifs include the arabesque swirling waves of the Karakusa pattern, water ( Ryusui-ni-Momiji ) and with deer motifs.[1] 

The origins of the motif can be traced to the Nara period when they were admired for covering mountains in their yellow hues.[1] During the Heian period this changed to red when they were used as allegorical devices in Heian poetry and wafuku as a way to rejuvenate the body after a long sticky summer in preparing for the autumn, around towns like Tatsugawa.[1] This poetic change may be a moral story surrounding having the child of child Genji as opposed to the Emperors child in Momiji no Ga, the 7th chapter of the Tale of Genji's Messy Lovelife after which Fujitsubo, the Emperors lover decided to raise the child as a single mother at court. Instead Genji has to content himself with doing some Bugaku, seeing Fujitsubos child cousin playing with dolls, and watching his mates squabble in the end pining for Fujitsubo.[6]

Genroku Maple and Water Kosode fragment with Autumn Kanji (c1690, PD) LACMA

Note the Genroku propensity for writing all over everything!

By around the 16th century, plays like the Noh play Momijigari ( Maple Viewing ) foretold of the dangers of getting too drunk during Momijigari as you apparently could get attacked by demon-ladies trying to break your heart.[5] By the Genroku period this was mixed with the designs of popular designers such as Ogata Korin in a call back to the idea of Wamono in the assertion of Japaneseness by using the 'Korin-momiji-mon' motif.[2][3] In vernacular history, it is said that for an Asobi to send a Momiji to a man is to have left him, becuase she has changed colours and grown bored of him in doing so.[4] During the 1920s, a great number of popular Meisen kimono seem to have used seasonal motifs like Momiji in asserting their Wamono-ness. Other examples also show this happened again in the 1950s in polyester, with Momiji retaining its popularity. Today people go to Arashimaya or Noboribetsu to see the changing Momiji.

Bibliography

[1] https://int.kateigaho.com/articles/tradition/patterns-29/

[2] See Essay #8 under Ogata Korin

[3] For an example of Wamono beauty standards, see Bijin #10 under Komin Codifying the Genroku-Wamono Bijin and Bijin #9 under Early Ukiyo-e in Print and Technology for context.

[4] https://www.academia.edu/18981047/Momiji_the_Maple_Leaf_on_Monet_s_Kimono

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momijigari_(play)

[6] https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/literature/Momiji%20no%20Ga.html#:~:text=Momiji%20no%20Ga%20(%E7%B4%85%E8%91%89%E8%B3%80,next%20autumn%20at%20age%2019.

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