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Source Description
The Japanese used chrysanthemums as decorative elements on mirrors. In the Heian period, a chrysanthemum with cranes or long-tailed birds was a common motif. Later, in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, chrysanthemum designs were divided into three patterns with different symbolic associations: Chrysanthemum with Cranes represented longevity; Water Flowing suggested longevity as well as the Noh drama <em>Kikujido</em>, or Chrysanthemum Boy; and East Fence alluded to the poem "Drinking Wine" by Tao Yuanming (365–427 CE). Here, the mirror featuring Buddhist iconography (<em>kyojo</em>) and a chrysanthemum design on the back shows that the flower was also appreciated in the context of Buddhism in the Kamakura period.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
98012
label
Mirror
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
98012
contentType
object
title
Mirror
description
The Japanese used chrysanthemums as decorative elements on mirrors. In the Heian period, a chrysanthemum with cranes or long-tailed birds was a common motif. Later, in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, chrysanthemum designs were divided into three patterns with different symbolic associations: Chrysanthemum with Cranes represented longevity; Water Flowing suggested longevity as well as the Noh drama <em>Kikujido</em>, or Chrysanthemum Boy; and East Fence alluded to the poem "Drinking Wine" by Tao Yuanming (365–427 CE). Here, the mirror featuring Buddhist iconography (<em>kyojo</em>) and a chrysanthemum design on the back shows that the flower was also appreciated in the context of Buddhism in the Kamakura period.
date
1200s–1300s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79482997
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 10.7 cm (4 3/16 in.)
cul
Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333)
accession
1917.64
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Mirror, 1200s–1300s. Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333). Bronze; diameter: 10.7 cm (4 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of D. Z. Norton, 1917.640
collection
Japanese Art
formerAccessionNumbers
309.1917
citations
citation
"Accessions." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 4, no. 4 (1917): 64-67.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 65
citation
Sŏn, Sŭng-hye. <em>The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2011.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 57–58, no. 33
creditline
Gift of D. Z. Norton
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:17:32.117000
sourceId
98012
dept
Japanese Art
coll
Japanese Art
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
bb70581cde52beca