Motifs
Motif · Characters
Longevity and fortune characters
수 · 복 (원수문)壽 · 福 (圓壽文)su, bok (wonsumun)
The characters for long life and fortune, often drawn as roundels.
- Wishes for
- Longevity; fortune
A round 壽 medallion (원수문) on a palace 패물보. Plant forms resembling 壽 appear on Huh-collection bojagi. 福/袱 underlies the bojagi-fortune belief.
History & tradition
East Asian character motifs; Joseon court and folk use
壽 (longevity) and 福 (fortune) are the two most common wish characters, often stylised into roundels such as the 원수문 on the National Palace Museum wrapper of Prince Yeong's consort. Bojagi themselves carried a pun: 袱 (wrapper) was linked to 福, so wrapping things was thought to keep fortune in.
Sources for this entry
박쥐 (편복)蝙蝠bakjwi (pyeonbok)