A is a type of decorative fabric panel used on various occasions in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The fabric takes its name from its design of vertical red and white stripes, which is known as ''kōhaku''. ''Kōhaku maku'' panels are hung from a red and white striped rope. ''Kōhaku maku'' are hung against walls on to give a festive appearance on formal occasions such as graduation ceremonies, but are also used on less formal occasions such as outdoor

tea ceremonies An East Asian tea ceremony, or ''Chádào'' (), or ''Dado'' ( ko, 다도 (茶道)), is a ceremonially ritualized form of making tea (茶 ''cha'') practiced in East Asia by the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans. The tea ceremony (), literally transla ...

and

hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; in this case almost always refer to those of the or, less frequently, trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around ...

flower viewing picnics to mark off or decorate spaces. A type of fabric with a similar pattern in black and white is used for wakes.

External links

* Japanese culture {{Japan-culture-stub