‘Chasing dragons’ uchishiki drawing, Japan, Meiji (circa 1880), 82x47cm. An ‘uchishiki’ was a triangular cloth used to cover the front and sides of altars in Buddhist temples. Such cloths were presented to the temple by devotees and, whilst most were obtained - in the very spirit of Buddhism - by recycling discarded fabrics, others were custom-made on purpose and were displaying heavily embroidered auspicious designs. To properly embroider, a ‘guide’ or sample-drawing was needed. What we are offering here are such tools: on meticulously joined hand-made Japanese paper, auspicious motifs such a dragons, lion-dogs, turtles, etc were skilfully drawn with China ink. Usually of high quality drawing, and ‘signed’ by the artist with his own red stamp, these are objects worth collecting on their own, and a lucky find from the depot of a Kyoto-based studio of uchishiki-makers, whose archives tell us these little jewels can be assigned to the second half of the 19th century. The present lot has two dragons chasing each other amid clouds, a so called ‘Unryu’ design. Dragon, derived from Chinese mythology, planted deep roots in japan as auspicious pattern, and it was believed and it was believed that if one appeared from clouds as heavenly messenger, something good would happen. Small holes and foxing on paper. Extraordinary quality of drawing.