Abstract
Three annual festivals still celebrated in Nagahama, Kyoto, and Otsu (Japan), employ Persian carpets and Flemish tapestries as part of float decorations. The author seeks to answer when, how, why, and under what circumstances the European tapestries came to lend luster to ancient Japanese festivals. First, the tapestries' European origins are traced. Several avenues are outlined of how and with what purpose the tapestries reached Japan in the 17th century: Portuguese merchants, Jesuit missionaries, Dutch merchants. Finally, the transfer of the tapestries from the nobility to the townspeople and the influence of rangaku leading to their subsequent display are discussed.
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