kihōmon pattern; mythical bird design on ancient Chinese bronzes
Rare technical term for a decorative motif featuring a fantastic birdlike creature, found on Yin and Zhou dynasty bronze ware. Used in art history and archaeology contexts.
See also: 文様
A pattern called kihōmon is often seen on Yin and Zhou bronze ware.
Rare kanji spelling using the character 夔; the variant き鳳文 is also attested.
Mixed kana-kanji variant of 夔鳳文.
From Chinese 夔鳳文 (kuí fèng wén), literally 'kui-phoenix pattern'. The exact derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with this ancient motif.