Japanese Plum Blossom by Jane Nicholas

If you were asked to explain what the term symbolism means, how would you reply?

It is perhaps not as easy to put into words as you initially think, but most of us would do a decent job of defining it as an idea or meaning behind a specific object.

While that is most certainly the gist of it, the real mystery to the story is how something even becomes associated with symbolism in the first place.

Consider how it came to be that the dove signifies peace or the skull and cross bone became associated with death and danger.

Yes, symbolism is an idea or meaning behind something, but what that something is, well… what a wonderful opportunity to go on an adventure and find out!

We know that many stitchers find great joy in immersing themselves in the back story of a design or technique they are working on.

This is no surprise when you consider the number of hours we spend bringing each piece to life in stitch, so it’s nice to spend some of those hours contemplating the meaning behind our chosen subject.

Today we’re going to Japan to discover all about the Japanese Plum Blossom, which as it turns out, has some very significant symbolism attached to it for good reason.

These good reasons found their way to the incredibly talented Jane Nicholas who created the stunning goldwork piece Japanese Plum Blossom that appears in Inspirations magazine issue #131.

Long before it became a beloved subject in embroidery, the plum blossom, known in Japan as ume, had already earned its symbolism the hard way.

While most of the flowering world waits patiently for spring, the plum blossom breaks into bloom in the depths of winter, often opening its delicate petals while snow still lies on the ground. It flowers before its own leaves even appear, and well before cherry blossom season begins.

There is something quietly defiant about a flower that chooses the coldest, bleakest months to put on its show, and the Japanese noticed.

That defiance became the meaning. The plum blossom came to represent perseverance, hope and renewal: beauty that pushes through hardship rather than waiting for easier conditions.

It’s one of the 'Three Friends of Winter’, alongside pine and bamboo, a trio celebrated in East Asian art for enduring when little else will.

It’s a small twist of history that a flower so central to Japanese identity actually has its roots in China, where it was cultivated for thousands of years before making its way across the region. But it was in Japan that the plum blossom found its most formal and enduring role: in heraldry.

Family crests, or mon, have been used in Japan for centuries to mark identity, lineage and allegiance, much as coats of arms did in Europe. Of all the natural motifs adopted into this tradition, the plum blossom is one of the most popular, second only to the chrysanthemum in prevalence.

Stylised into neat, symmetrical roundels of five rounded petals, it appears on kimono, temple architecture, family seals and clan emblems, its soft botanical form reduced to a clean, geometric emblem is instantly recognisable.

It’s precisely this stylised, crest-like quality that inspired Jane Nicholas’s exquisite goldwork interpretation: three plum blossom roundels rendered not as a botanical study, but as a mon brought vividly to life in gleaming gilt threads and shades of strawberry.

Pre-Order Your Japanese Plum Blossom Kit Now…

This exquisite piece has already been so popular, all our Ready-to-Stitch kits have sold out.

Now that you know the fascinating back story, what at first you may have thought of as just a gorgeous design, now also has a depth of meaning and a newfound appreciation for the significance of the emblem itself.

As a result we’ve decided to open up a Pre-Order window to allow anyone who missed out on a kit to purchase one made to order.

Here is how it works:

The pre-order window for Japanese Plum Blossom is now open and closes next Sunday 6th September, at which time we’ll finalise numbers and begin production, with kits expected to ship by the end of December.

To secure your Japanese Plum Blossom kit, simply place your order as usual using the link below.

PS - Instructions for Japanese Plum Blossom are sold separately and can be selected when placing your kit order. Printed products will ship with your kit, while digital products are available for immediate download.