What’s In a Motif? Part 7

On The Sixth Day Of Fun I present... another colorful entry in another ongoing series! Since tomorrow’s feature won’t have any images I figured I’d break up the time between reading walls of text and fixating on pretty images ^^v

Water (水) - Mizu Rarity: Common Seasons: All This is such a versatile motif that it can be used during any month, season, or event as it always has auspicious undertones. But, unlike many other motifs, the way in which it’s presented can drastically change its meaning. So, let’s look a bit closer by breaking it down into two categories! Waves (波) - Nami This is the type of water that you see churning, like the examples on either side of the visual above. Waves are considered signs of change as fast flowing water cannot help but make the landscape different. Although they can bring damage along with change, they are respected as member of the natural cycle of destruction and rebirth.  Rivers/Streams (川) - Kawa Basically the blanket term for water that does not have any waves. It is almost the opposite of waves as rivers/streams represent calm tranquility with a change that is slow/stable but predictable.   Additionally, the color of the water can have different meanings depending on the season. It’s very common to see orange colored waves during cold months, and this is no accident! It’s thought that the color blue is more appropriate for summer as it evokes thoughts of refreshing water that’s perfect for swimming or cooling off with during the oppressively humid Japanese summers. In contrast, orange is warm and evokes a sense of heat when worn in the snow ^^

What’s That Thing? Part 12

A really short one, but I love how much visual knowledge can be found from this question, so I was really excited to answer it! Anonymous asked: “Hi! Instagram @takutanimoto uploaded a recent photo of Katsusen wearing a blue hikizuri. Water is one of the motifs, but what is the other one (creating the vertical lines)? I know it's a little hard to make out, though.” First, let’s look at the image in question:

Image courtesy of Takutanimoto on Instagram. This kimono is so simple, yet so incredibly chic! It features two main motifs, although one is more prominent than the other.  The first is Water, which includes not only the soft ripples, but also the blue background of the kimono itself.Tying the kimono together with the background color makes it a fascinating work of art. It’s as if you’re down by the side of a river, with the blue capturing the coolness temperature of the spring water.  The second, which is incredibly rare, is actually Pussy Willows! They’re celebrated as heralds of spring, but tend to be dwarfed in popularity compared to plum blossoms, canola blossoms, and butterflies. The Japanese name for pussy willows is Neko Yanagi (猫柳), which literally means “Cat Willow” ^^

Random Fact of The Week 22/9

An interesting fact for an interesting week! Events that Pontocho participates in all revolve around water! Examples include the Kamogawa Odori (鴨川をどり - Dances of the Kamo River, which Pontocho is built along the shores of), Suimeikai (水明会 - Gathering of Shining Water, again referring to the Kamo River), and the Takasegawa Boat Festival (高瀬川舟まつり - The Takase River crosses the Kamo River).