Nanakorobi Yaoki Daruma Chūsen-Dyed Linen Japanese Noren Curtain

Product Description:

This characterful Japanese noren is named Nanakorobi Yaoki, meaning “Fall seven times, rise eight”—a familiar expression of perseverance and the determination to begin again after every setback.

The catalogue describes our first great act of rising as the gradual journey from birth to learning to walk. Nothing is mastered immediately; we become capable little by little, repeatedly trying and rising again.

Seven lively red Daruma embody this encouraging idea. Each has its own expression and personality, from serene and contemplative to determined and cheerfully mischievous. Arranged in two playful columns, they appear to tumble, balance and right themselves across the natural linen ground.

Daruma are traditionally associated with perseverance because their rounded form returns upright when pushed over. Their red colour is also regarded as auspicious and connected with wishes for good health and protection from illness and misfortune.

The design is produced using chūsen, a traditional Japanese resist-dyeing technique in which dye penetrates the cloth rather than merely sitting upon its surface. The rich, slightly varied red and the clearly visible linen weave give the textile warmth and handmade character.

Made in Kyoto by Manyōsha, this two-panel noren brings good humour, encouragement and an auspicious presence to an entranceway or interior. It may be displayed in a doorway, used as a room divider or hung as a distinctive piece of Japanese textile art.

The hanging rod shown in the photograph is not included.