'Three fish with one head' is an ancient motif found from Egypt to Japan. In this two-part blog I explore the motif, first in Shattariya Sufi manuscripts from Java; this is the earliest dated example, 1790, @britishlibrary MSS Jav 77, f.16v from Batavia blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-afri… 
I began to explore the motif of 'three fish with one head' as part of a research project initiated by Prof. Kawashima Midori on Islamic manuscripts from Mindanano, published here: academia.edu/40914970/Cultu…
The motif of 'three fish with one head' seems to be especially associated with Shattariya Sufi circles on the north coast of Java; this image is from a manuscript from a pesantren in Kranji, Lamongan, digitised through @bl_eap EAP061/2/59, f. 29b eap.bl.uk/archive-file/E…
The motif of 'three fish with one head' is especially popular in Cirebon, where it occurs not only in Sufi manuscripts but also on glass paintings, batik and literary texts, as in this Serat Damar Wulan illustration: bl.uk/manuscripts/Vi…
Gambar 'tiga ikan satu kepala' atau 'iwak telu sirah sanunggal' sangat populer dalam naskah Shattariya dari pesisir pulau Jawa, tetapi tidak didapati di naskah Shattariya dari Sumatera atau bagian lain dunia Islam. @britishlibrary MSS Jav 77 f.16v, Batavia blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-afri…
