Itomaki

Motif Information
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Rōmaji	Itomaki
English	Bobbin, spool of thread
Kanji	糸巻き
Kana	いとまき
Season	Spring
Seasonal Exceptions	New Year's, Tanabata
Auspicious	Yes
Motif Type	Man-made
Pronounciation
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Itomaki were bobbins used for winding thread on a reel called a zakuri. The relatively open shape of itomaki compared to western spools was to allow air to pass around the sticky silk thread which would be later slipped off the bobbin and boiled to degum it.

Itomaki were common household objects from the Edo to early Showa period. Itomaki stopped being produced as sericulture became increasingly industrialized.

Seasonal Use, Exceptions & Pairings

Silk cultivation (1866) by Utagawa Fusatane

Itomaki is a spring motif.

Motif Connotations & Symbolism

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Auspicious Nature

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Common Motif Pairings

• Temari
• Tako (kite)
• Koma

Identification & Style Variations

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Motif Examples

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  Itomaki with mizu, momiji, and kiku on Nagoya obi from the collection of Fabric Magpie

Motif in Literature & Other Usage

Bando Mitsugoro as a thread vendor, note the itomaki motif on his kimono (c.1800) by Utagawa Toyokuni

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Article Notes

Relevant Threads / Discussions

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Image Credits

• Fabric Magpie

Authors & Contributors

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