『古事記』に不老不死の理想郷に自生する植物と記され、長寿を招き、元気な子供を授かると信じられてきた橘とは、蜜柑のこと。鏡餅の上に蜜柑がのせられるのも、そんな願いからなのです。同様の理由から、婚礼衣装や掛け袱紗などにも多く用いられてきました。

The plant mentioned in the "Kojiki" as growing in the ideal land of eternal youth and immortality, believed to bring longevity and bestow healthy children, is the tachibana, which refers to the mandarin orange. Placing mandarin oranges on top of the kagami mochi during New Year's celebrations stems from such wishes. For similar reasons, tachibana has been widely used in wedding attire, decorative obi sashes, and other ceremonial garments.

Obi fabrics with this Japanese pattern from the obico selection