square decorative cardboard; autograph board; shikishi
A square piece of thick, fancy paper or cardboard, often with a decorative border, used for calligraphy, paintings, autographs, or short poems. Commonly collected as souvenirs or art pieces.
I got an autograph on a shikishi board from a famous singer.
I bought a small painting done on a shikishi board at the exhibition.
The celebrity signed an autograph on the shikishi board for me.
We wrote words of thanks on a shikishi board for our graduating teacher.
We gave our teacher a shikishi board with messages from the whole class.
counter for thin, flat objects; sheet; plate; coin · serving of soba; portion of gyōza · sumo rank position; wrestler at a given rank · field; rice paddy plot · palanquin bearer
From 色 (color) + 紙 (paper), referring to the colored or decorative paper used for artistic purposes. The specific square format became standardized over time.