Nishiki

Japanese: 錦 - にしき

〘Noun〙① A fabric made by weaving a ground and a pattern with several kinds of colored threads. There are two types: warp brocade , which uses warp threads to create patterns, and weft brocade, which uses weft threads. ※The Chronicles ( 720 ) , 8th year of the reign of Emperor Yūkyō, February, folk song: “I let go of the strings of the sasaraga nishiki , and sleep not again, only at night.”※The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu (around 1010), 5th year of the Kankō era, November 20th, “The nishiki robe, which does not get tangled up in the darkness of the night, is a beautiful sea.”② A word used to compare something beautiful and pretty. ※Kokin (905-914), 1st Spring, 5th and 6th chapters: “Looking out, the willows and cherry blossoms are mixed together, and the palace is a spring brocade.〈Soshiki〉”③ A word used to compare autumn leaves. ※Kokin (905-914), Autumn, 265 “If it is a brocade of tanabatame no brocade, I will stand and hide on the edge of the mountain at the end of autumn. (Ki no Tomonori)” [Glossary] (1) It was originally a woven fabric introduced from China during the Nara period, and was used for decorations at Buddhist ceremonies and among some aristocrats as a high-quality item. Those made in Korea were called Komanishiki (Komanishiki) , those made in China were called Karanishiki (Karanishiki) , and those made in Japan were called Yamatonishiki (Yamatonishiki) , or they were also called by their patterns, such as Kuruma-gata-nishiki, Hishi-gata-nishiki, and Kasumi-nishiki.
(2) It is considered a representative luxurious fabric, and in the Edo period, it was often used in compound words such as 'nishikie' (colored prints), 'nishikimame' (bean paste), and 'nishikimegane' (spectacle of glasses) to mean something flashy or high-class.

Source: The Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary About the Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary Information

Japanese:

〘名〙① 数種の色糸で地織りと文様を織り出した織物。経(たていと)で文様を織り出した経錦(たてにしき)と、緯(よこいと)で織り出した緯錦(よこにしき)がある。※書紀（720）允恭八年二月・歌謡「ささらがた邇之枳(ニシキ)の紐を解き放けてあまたは寝ずに唯一夜のみ」※紫式部日記（1010頃か）寛弘五年一一月二〇日「にしきのから衣、やみの夜にも物にまきれずめづらしうみゆ」② 美しくうるわしいものをたとえていう語。※古今（905‐914）春上・五六「みわたせば柳桜をこきまぜて宮こぞ春の錦なりける〈素性〉」③ 秋の紅葉をたとえていう語。※古今（905‐914）秋下・二六五「たがための錦なればか秋ぎりのさほの山べをたちかくすらむ〈紀友則〉」[語誌](1)もともと奈良時代に中国から入ってきた織物で、仏事の装飾に用いられたり、高級な物として一部の貴族の間で用いられたりした。朝鮮産のものを高麗錦(こまにしき)、中国産のものを唐錦(からにしき)、国産のものを大和錦(やまとにしき)と呼びわけたり、車形錦、菱形錦、霞錦など模様によって呼びわけたりした。
(2)豪華な織物の代表とされ、江戸時代には、はなやかなもの、高級なものの意で、「錦絵」「錦豆」「錦眼鏡」などの複合語に用いられることが多くなる。

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