Camellia
Archive
Motif
In Japanese gardens, these spring-like flowers start to bloom as winter begins. Camellias are native to Japan and China and they originally grew wild in the mountains. Over 2 000 years ago, camellia seed oil was already a popular ingredient of cosmetics. Nowadays, many hair and skin treatments are still made from this precious oil.
The Japanese name, 椿 (Tsubaki), is made from the symbols for “tree” and “spring”. But if it is admired for its connection to spring in Japan, its resemblance to the tea tree is noted in China. Its Chinese name 山茶花 (Shāncháhuā) is a combination of the symbols for “mountain”, “tea” and “flower”.
When German botanists introduced the flower in Europe, around 1830, the Japanese camellia it was hugely popular, and became known as the “winter rose”.
TEXTILE
This obi is woven with silk and lamé silver and gold threads. The flowers, leaves and branches are represented with some texture on a pearly white background. A plain green strip frames this painting-like setting on each side.
