Motif on kozuka?

[Marius]

Would anybody have an idea wht the motif on this kozuka signifies? Pic attached in two resolutions. The higher-rez is watermarked, generated by Photozoom Pro (thanks for the tip, Uwe!).

 

Thanks for looking :-)

[ROKUJURO]

Could it be an old TABAKO-IRE without it's KISERIZUTSU? Maybe a hint that someone gave up smoking? (Unlikely with Japanese, I know!)

[Toryu2020]

I would venture that what you are seeing is a clam shell, next to that is the hastily folded court robes and headdress of a court noble. There appears to be another little clam shell in the fold of the robe.

 

I see two posibilities; this is a reference to Kakinomoto Hitomaro a very famous poet of the Manyo era. Pictures of him were revered as a kind of god of poetry and were trotted out for poetry readings and contests. Don't ask me why but the clam-shell always seems to be there.

 

The other is, this is some scene from Genji Monogatari - Kyoto girls played games with painted clam shells, still do, so this image may be an allusion to a couple nearby in another room....

 

But really I think it is the first of these two ideas.

-t

[Marius]

Thank you Thomas

 

And of course many thanks to Jean, too :-)