平安時代の源氏物語「貝合わせ」を再現
貝合わせ(貝おおい、合わせ貝、貝覆い)は平安時代に宮中で行われていた遊びの一つで、1対左右2片の貝殻(ハマグリ)の両面に花や歌などを書いて左右に分けて置き、絵柄を合わせて取る遊びです。
みかわ工房の貝合わせは、当時の貝合わせの再現に努め、ハマグリの内側に金沢金箔を一面に貼り下地作りから仕上げまで1人の作家が制作したものです。完成した貝合わせには物語の解説書、桐箱が付きます。貝の中に季節の花や干支、名入などのオーダーメイドも可能です。
6cm、1組で15,000円です。袋入り、解説書付き、桐箱入りです。
8cm、1組で26,000円(袋入り、貝立て、解説書付き、桐箱入りです)
12cm、1組で32,000円(袋入り、貝立て、解説書付き、桐箱入りです)
●現在、工房にある完成している貝合わせ在庫は、ここをクリックしてください。
貝合わせ見本
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貝合わせの由来
平安時代になると二枚の貝を両者に分けて床に列べ、絵柄の合うものを取り合ったり、和歌などの上の句と下の句や、物語にまつわる絵を句とともに書いたりする遊びが女児たちの間で盛んに行われたようです。
The Origin of Kai-Awase(Matching shells)
Kai-awase was born in the Heian period(794-1185 A.D.) as a past time of drawing pictures and letters in shells. Soon, people started to separate the shell into two and played by trying to match them. Noble people also enjoyed writing Waka(syllable Japanese poems) and drawing beautiful pictures along with them. Their favorite motif was Genji-monogatari('the tale of Genji',known as the oldest romance novel in the world).
As the time passed by, Kai-awase became more sophisticated that even the buckets to put the shells in played important rolls in weddings for families of feudal lords. The buckets were given to the brides as special gifts. Now a days, this ceremony is called 'the ceremony of Kai-awase' and it still remains in Shinto-style weddings.
The best shells to use in these ceremonies are said to be the 3 inch clams taken from Kiso-river in Mie prefecture. That is because of their beautiful patterns and thickness, and also, they are a size that perfectly fits in women's hands.
We at MIkawa-Kobo also use clams from this place and paint by hand.
One of the reasons to give Kai-awase to brides and new-born girls is that two clams never match one another. This suggests some meanings in charms like you never separate once you get married, or you never chose the wrong partner.
These superstitions made wealthy families of feudal lords make vast numbers of gorgeously decorated Kai-Awases. These are shaped by powdered calcium carbonate and covered in gold foils, then painted with the pictures that express the story of Genji-monogatari. The painting style used in these pictures is usually Tosa-school.