Kadomatsu

Among the artistic motifs imported from China are the three winter cold survivors pine, bamboo, and plum blossoms. The first is an evergreen that in the West would be used in a wreath during the winter. The second is a flexible plant that may collect a thin layer of snow, but flexibly bends under the weight until the snow slips off. The final member of the threesome is the first flower to bloom despite the cold weather, announcing that spring is near and the cherries will bloom again before long.

To the Chinese, the three together suggested a correct understanding of morals. The Japanese referred to them as saikan no san’yu, “the three friends of the cold season,” and considered them as a sign of good fortune—auspicious but without the moral element.

The threesome appears occasionally in the kadomatsu decorations that stand on both sides of doorways at the beginning of the year, in front of office buildings and some homes. Perhaps they celebrate the few consecutive holidays that everyone in the country gets to enjoy. The threesome is also called sho-chiku-bai in Japanese and they may serve a completely functional role on the menu of a sushi shop, where the pine (sho) set is the most expensive, luxurious set of sushi, the bamboo (chiku) is modest in price and quality, and the least expensive plum (bai) is for those who are hungry but on a budget. Where originally the three are equal partners in good fortune, in some sushi shops, they are employed as indications of price.

(260 words)