by Jann Williams (January 26, 2022)
Identifying the oldest yin-yang symbol in Japan has been an ongoing passion of mine. The philosophy of yin-yang (J. in-yo) was formally introduced into Japan in the 6th century AD and still permeates contemporary culture. One might imagine that the two-tone interlocking representation of yin-yang, created in the late 14th century in China and now recognised worldwide, was likely to be adopted in Japan. Yet extensive searches for the symbol have uncovered only a few unrelated examples in the pre-Meiji period; that is, prior to 1868. Even after that date there appears to be no widespread or systematic use of the iconic symbol to represent in-yo in Japan.
The oldest example of a yin-yang symbol I’ve discovered to date in Japan was hiding in plain sight. It is part of a very large embroidery created in Kyoto in 1798 (Kansei 10) that is displayed on the back of the Hoshoyama float at the famous Gion Festival. If readers are aware of earlier examples of the yin-yang symbol in Japan I would love to hear about them.
Catherine Pasawarat, a member of Writers in Kyoto and author of the first comprehensive book in English about the Gion Festival (Pasawarat 2020), has generously shared this image of the Hoshoyama embroidery. It is called, she tells me, the ‘Congratulatory/longevity star chart brocade’ (“寿星図綴錦”, Toshiseizu tsudzure ni shiki or ことぶき せいず つづれ にしき).
Many sites on the internet, particularly in Japanese, describe the textile as depicting Fukurokuju (the gentleman with the bald elongated head) and Benzaiten (the woman holding the child) with Karako and his friends (Tang Chinese children). Both Fukurokuju and Benzaiten are Japanese deities, with origins in China and India respectively, and represent two of the Seven Lucky Gods. Several deities in Japan and China have large bald heads, symbolising wisdom. This helps explain some of the debates around the identity of individuals with this prominent feature.
The 1798 embroidery is considered the earliest datable Japanese copy of a Chinese tapestry (Yoshida 2018). It replaced another textile – a ‘Sennin-zu’ (hermit picture) created in China during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The original embroidery still exists as a hanging scroll. The only image available online, on the Kyoto City website, is very low resolution. My wish is to one day see this ancient treasure in person in Kyoto. If it depicts the same image as the 1798 textile then the yin-yang symbol would have been displayed much earlier in Japan. Of interest, the symbol is never mentioned in any descriptions of the ‘send off’ embroidery I’ve seen.
The textiles that do generate considerable attention flank the sides and front of the Hoshoyama float. Based on sketches by the famous Japanese artist Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795), they illustrate Chinese classics that include sages and fantastic animals such as the Phoenix and Tiger. The original tapestries were completed in Anei 2 (1773); high quality reproductions are now used during the parade of floats held on July 17th. The Mizuhiki, which sits above these tapestries on the Hoshoyama float, is made from Chinese Ming dynasty clothing with peacock feathers sown into the embroidery. It is very rare.
There is a strong argument, I believe, that the imagery adorning the back of the Hoshoyama float is of Chinese origin rather than representing Japanese deities. Drawing on extensive studies by Mary H. Fong (published in 1983) the three male sages intently examining the yin-yang symbol most likely represent Fu, Lu and Shou, commonly known as the Three Stars (San Xing). Fong’s publication traces the popularity of these gods – who represent happiness, wealth and longevity – from their creation in the late Ming dynasty to their widespread use as New Year pictures in 20th century China. She includes three images of these gods gazing at the yin-yang symbol, including one from the British Museum (BM). The same BM image is used to illustrate the “Three Stars of Happiness” in the ‘Yin and Yang’ section in Storm (2011).
The Chinese silk scroll that ‘The Three Stars’ adorn is part of the extensive William Anderson collection of Japanese and Chinese paintings that the BM purchased in 1881. A section of the scroll is reproduced below according to the terms of the Creative Commons licence (see here). The image on the BM website excludes a white crane sitting on a large pine tree (both symbols of long life) that towers above the sages (see Fong, Figure 12 for the complete image).
Fong firmly dismisses Christie’s 1968 description of this image as ‘three scholars studying Yin and Yang’, noting that the figure with the tall pointed head is obviously Shou Xing, the star god representing longevity and associated with the South Pole. She would presumably apply the same argument to Anderson’s 1886 description of this BM tapestry as a representation of Lao Tszu, Sakyamuni and Confucius. Fong discusses similarities and differences between illustrations of the three religions and the three star gods in her paper. She is in no doubt that the hanging scroll/kakemono in the BM represents the Three Stars.
So, is the earliest representation of yin-yang in Japan (discovered so far) being viewed by the Three Stars? The name of the Hoshoyama tapestry is tantalising, referring as it does to a ‘star chart brocade’. Another pointer to the Gion tapestry representing Chinese deities is that the 1798 embroidery is, as I understand it, a copy of the original Chinese tapestry displayed on the float; one question still to be answered is whether the images on the two embroideries are the same. Additionally, none of the descriptions of a similar image in the British Museum refer to Fukurokuju or Benzaiten.
As for the identity of the woman on the side of the 1798 embroidery, different options are being explored. Several images of the Three Stars have women in them yet nowhere, so far, is their name revealed. If Professor Fong was alive she could have confirmed if the Gion tapestry represents Fu, Lu and Shou and identify the woman holding the young child. Unfortunately the great scholar is no longer with us.
My interest in the Gion tapestry arose from a desire to better understand the symbolism of yin-yang/in-yo in Japan. In-yo is intimately related to the five phases/elements (J. gogyo), also formally introduced to Japan in the 6th century, and hence is of great relevance to my explorations. As someone with endless curiosity, I was keen to discover more about the context and history of the yin-yang symbol depicted in the Hoshoyama embroidery. Much gratitude goes to Catherine Pawasarat for her assistance and support along the way. Whether these musings prove to be accurate or not, my hope is that they stimulate further interest in the fascinating story of the star chart brocade. It is part of a larger and intriguing narrative about the significance of the Gion Festival tapestries to the heritage of Japan and the world.
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References and further information:
Anderson, W. (1886) Descriptive and historical catalogue of a collection of Japanese and Chinese paintings in the British Museum. Printed by Order of the Trustees. Longmans & Co., London.
Christie, A. (1968) Chinese Mythology. Hamlyn Publishers.
Fong, M.H. (1983) The Iconography of the Popular Gods of Happiness, Emolument, and Longevity (Fu Lu Shou). Artibus Asiae, 1983, Vol. 44, No. 2/3. Pp 159-199.
Pawasarat, C. (2020) The Gion Festival: Exploring Its Mysteries. GionFestival.org
Storm, R. (2011) Legends & Myths of India, Egypt, China and Japan. Hermes House, Anness Publishing, Wigston. p. 189.
Williams, J. (2020) Yin-yang in Japan: harmonising vital energies. A blog on the symbolism of yin-yang in Japan. https://elementaljapan.com/2020/04/27/yinyang-in-japan-harmonising-vital-energies/
Yoshida, M. (2018) The Global Influence of China and Europe on Local Japanese Tapestries Mainly from the 19th through Early 20th Centuries. Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings. 1120. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf/1120
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