Throughout the ages, emperors, and kings often associated themselves with the bravery, and determined spirit of the TIGER.

Noted for its incredible body strength; the tiger’s eyes also, show focus, and intelligence, qualities which greatly appealed to the Japanese samurai class, adopting the tiger as their emblem. This emblem was believed not only to fend off demons, it also protected against misfortune, and disease.

In Japanese folklore, the tiger and the dragon are said to be rivals, therefore when depicted together represent the overcoming of a difficult personal challenge, or struggle.

In nature, wild tigers have the reputation for being the only animals capable of penetrating dense bamboo thickets, so are often thought of as “king of the forest”.

During the Taisho era in Japan, (1912-1926) the image of a tiger was often seen used as a pattern on boys’ kimono, such as the design shown above, which is an all-time favorite from our archives. Our pattern represents a delightful tiger family; proud parents with their playful cub, against a lush backdrop of stylized bamboo.

It is the wish from all of us at Pagong to breathe new life into this fun-loving pattern so that others may have it in their lives, and have the tenacity of a tiger, and the resiliency of bamboo!