Plovers
or (rarely) sanderlings: small birds that live in flocks near water, a popular
design motif either alone or combined with waves or sand beaches, suhama
Bl. The bird is an auspicious symbol associated with longevity because
its cry 'chiyo' is a homonyn for 'chiyo ηγ' meaning "1000 generations."
The association of chidori with long life was mentioned in KOKINWAKASHUU
Γ‘aΜW (early 10c) and was especially popular in waka aΜ during the
Heian and Kamakura periods. The chidori motif appears in varied media
such as textiles, lacquer, metalwork, and even paper design, from the 10c
onward. By the Momoyama and early Edo periods, the motif of chidori
was often transformed into an almost abstract pictorial figure. |