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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 Kikujido, or Chrysanthemum Boy; and East Fence alluded to the poem "Drinking Wine" by Tao Yuanming (AD 365-427). 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
98029
label
Mirror with Pair of Cranes in Chrysanthemum Pattern
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
98029
contentType
object
title
Mirror with Pair of Cranes in Chrysanthemum Pattern
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 Kikujido, or Chrysanthemum Boy; and East Fence alluded to the poem "Drinking Wine" by Tao Yuanming (AD 365-427). 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
1392–1573
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79483071
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 11.8 cm (4 5/8 in.)
cul
Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573)
accession
1917.656
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Mirror with Pair of Cranes in Chrysanthemum Pattern, 1392–1573. Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573). Bronze; diameter: 11.8 cm (4 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of D. Z. Norton, 1917.656
collection
Japanese Art
formerAccessionNumbers
325.1917
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
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Sŏn Sŭng-hye. <em>The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art</em>. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2011.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 57-58, no. 38
creditline
Gift of D. Z. Norton
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:17:38.509000
sourceId
98029
dept
Japanese Art
coll
Japanese Art
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
733bed3a30dfcdca