The strip on the left above is a background pattern I recently decided to make. It is based on (ok ripped directly from) a traditional Japanese pattern. The pattern is known (at least in most references I have) as Bishamon-kikko. I don’t know much history of the pattern overall. I do know Bishamon (or as the warrior Hachiman) is a protector of Bhuddist law and is one of the Shichi-fuku-jin: the 7 Japanese gods of fortune. Bishamon brings good fortune—to the poor especially—and is the patron of priests, doctors and soldiers. Bishimon-kikko is an interlocking toroiseshell design often seen on armor fabrics and armor padding.
The pattern is used on all forms of clothing and can be found in many other forms of traditional art in Japan. I have seen it used in sashiko, shibori, katazome, and kirei sabi decorations. My own use of it has been exclusivily in shibori where the design is more abstracted due to the nature of the resist techniques I used. I think I should execute it in katazome very soon.
The background pattern was created in MacroMedia Fireworks and I have both the 40×40 pixel white on indigo (the background image for the <div> at left above) and a white on transparent 40×40 pixel image for you at right below. The white on transparent file can be used to create your own color combinations quite easily in just about any graphics application. The files are public domain, although I sure wouldn’t mind a link and attribution by way of a nod if you do use them.
- bishamon-kikko on indigo
- bishamon-kikko with transparent background
If you can’t see the second Bishamon-kikko image then your browser has an issue displaying transparent .png files. The image is there, right click on the “empty” box and “Save Picture As” or “Save Target As”.
