𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮-𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚 𝐛𝐨𝐰𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐢 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

The kintsugi is adorned with the kikusuimon (菊水紋), a symbol meaning “chrysanthemum water” which refers to a Chinese legend and nō play attributing eternal youth to drinking morning dew from the leaves of the chrysanthemum.

Here, the petals are simplified and represent a kogiku, or small chrysanthemum.

This mon has been associated with Kusunoki Masashige (1294-1336), a military leader of the Nanboku-chō period (1337-1392), since the 14th century. This humble samurai fought on behalf of Emperor GoDaigo in his attempt to regain control of Japan from the Kamakura shogunate. Later, his name became synonymous with loyalty and extreme devotion to the emperor.