Wood sorrel and plum blossom family crests on a mirror featuring a ‘nanten’ (sacred bamboo) design

Mid-Edo period (18C)

Purchased / Museum’s own collection

This is part of a wedding (or bridal) set, which is said to have been prepared for the marriage of Sakai Tadayori (1705-1766), the fifth lord of the Shōnai domain, and Chōhime, the adopted daughter of Maeda Tsunanori, the fifth lord of the Kaga domain.

This patterned mirror shows the Sakai and Maeda family crests, as well as the nanten (sacred bamboo), a good luck charm, which is believed to “turn the tide of difficulties.” On the far left, the names of the mirror’s creators are inscribed: Nakajima Isenokami Fujiwara Tanesada.