Strolling Through Tōfuku-ji in Kyoto: Discovering Louis Vuitton’s Iconic Plaid

The leather goods brand Louis Vuitton Malletier encountered Japanese culture at the exposition. Its founder and his son, Georges Vuitton, were deeply fascinated by the world of forms created by Japanese traditional craftsmen. It was here that they encountered the decisive key that elevated craftsmanship to branding—Japanese family crests.

 

At the time, the rising star of Louis Vuitton was plagued by counterfeits. The concept of family crests and patterns opened the eyes of the father-and-son duo, ushering in the era of brand identity. The classic Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas and Damier Canvas—simple yet highly distinctive patterns, with their repetitive geometric designs—are derived from the shapes and concepts of family crests and patterns.

The iconic Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas and Damier Canvas, with their minimalist yet instantly recognizable designs, stem from the forms and ideas of Japanese family crests and motifs.

Family crests are part of Japanese traditional culture, symbolizing a family’s lineage and socio-economic status, and are a type of pattern. Patterns, traditionally, involve stylizing and decorating text, flora and fauna, and objects into decorative motifs. These motifs are formed by the repeated use of a single design, evolving over time and deeply rooted in folk culture, often carrying conventional symbolic meanings. Beyond everyday decorative use, certain social classes such as samurai or kabuki actors had their own exclusive patterns, which were variations of family crests.

 

For tourists, these beautiful patterns contribute to the image of Kyoto and the desire to take home souvenirs of their travels. But for the people of Kyoto, who have their own strong opinions on food, clothing, housing, and transportation, changing into new kimono dyed with seasonal floral designs or sending a postcard adorned with a cool flowing water pattern to a friend in the peak of summer—patterns are a small daily joy and an unconscious form of self-expression for the people of Kyoto.

Besides buying them, how else can you collect patterns? Kyoto’s pattern map lies within Tōfuku-ji. The garden landscaping of Tōfuku-ji is one of the most unique and unparalleled sights in Kyoto: its karesansui (dry landscape) gardens not only possess elegant forms, a harmony between nature and artifice, and rich symbolism and storytelling, but most importantly, they were designed by Shigemori Mirei, who pioneered a new aesthetic in traditional Japanese garden design.

 

Shigemori Mirei (1896–1975) was a master who integrated traditional Japanese arts such as Japanese painting, ikebana (flower arrangement), and the tea ceremony into Japanese garden design. The clever use of patterns inspired by traditional motifs is one of the most recognizable features of Shigemori-style gardens. To uncover the hidden patterns secretly embedded by Shigemori, the North Garden of Tōfuku-ji’s Hōjō and Ryōgin-an are must-visit treasure troves of design.

 

Upon entering the North Garden, you’re greeted by a familiar pattern. Using your imagination, doesn’t this checkerboard garden made of moss and gravel resemble Louis Vuitton’s most iconic bag? This is the ichimatsumon (ichimatsumon grid), one of the most basic traditional Japanese patterns. It was this very pattern that inspired Louis Vuitton and his son to create the classic damier (checkerboard) canvas after seeing it at the Paris Exposition Universelle, resulting in the world’s first registered trademark pattern. Traditional Japanese patterns unexpectedly laid the foundation for some of the most basic vocabulary in today’s fashion industry. Shigemori loved this simplicity: unleashing boundless creativity from a minimalist base, boldly cutting and breaking traditional norms, and expanding the pure beauty of geometry into the overarching style of the entire garden.

Another lesser-known secret pattern spot, even among locals, is Ryōgin-an. In its West Garden, Shigemori “raised” a cloud dragon: using broken rocks as the dragon’s head and body, black-and-white gravel arranged in the reiun (auspicious cloud) pattern, raked lines evoking swirling clouds, and even lightning patterns formed by bamboo arranged on the bamboo fence. All these patterns and symbols come together to create a magnificent scene of a divine dragon emerging from the sea, writhing and charging through a storm.