029

Noshi and Kara Kusa

Noshi is an abbreviation for noshi-awabi, which is made by slicing and stretching awabi (abalone) meat into ribbons and drying them in the sun. There is a legend that awabi provides perpetual youth and longevity. On Japanese textiles, several noshi strips are usually shown gathered into a bundle.
On modern Japanese gifts, a thin strip of yellow paper is usually substituted for the abalone. It is enclosed in a carefully folded piece of red and white paper.
The Japanese call a scrolling vine pattern kara kusa or “Chinese grasses.” The design originated in Greece and traveled eastward through Central Asia until it became a favorite motif in Tang Dynasty China (618-906), and subsequently in Japan.

Ebi (crayfish/lobster) and Noshi

Noshi is an abbreviation for noshi-awabi, which is made by slicing and stretching awabi (abalone) meat into ribbons and drying them in the sun. It was a custom in Japan to attach noshi-awabi when people sent gifts or congratulatory presents to others. The noshi represented a wish for the happiness of the occasion to be “stretched out,” as "noshi" is a homonym of the word "to stretch."
In this panel, ebi has been placed on a bundle of noshi on a tray traditionally used for presenting offerings to the gods. Ebi are longevity symbols because their bent back resembles someone who has lived for a long time. The pairing of ebi and noshi is a particularly auspicious combination, which expresses the wish for extended happiness, health and long life.