Kanzashi of The Month: Forgotten Motifs
On The Eleventh Day Of Fun I present... something unique! Over the past 9 months I’ve featured a great amount of kanzashi, but there have been some that have gone under the radar as they’re either very rare or there were limited pictures available. So, instead of each getting their own feature they’ll be displayed here! As always, all kanzashi are courtesy of Kazurasei.
Image courtesy of Kazurasei. Tsuyu Shiba (露柴) - Dewy Grass Months: June, July, and August This is a very elegant design, but sadly remains quite rare. It features grass in the shape of crescent moons accented by dew made of rhinestones. The grass is made in an almost identical way to the pampas grass kanzashi that I featured earlier. The thin silk used is incredibly iridescent and reflects like real water. Its simplistic design lends well to senior maiko, who are sometimes spotted either wearing this set as is or with the small addition of another motif, like carnations. Here you can see Mameryū (まめ柳) of Tama (多麻) in Gion Kobu wearing the full set in July below:
Image courtesy of Peter MacIntosh.
Image courtesy of Kazurasei. Gekka Bijin (月下美人) - Queen of The Night Months: July and August This is an extremely unique motif and one that’s only recently become popular with senior maiko. The Queen of The Night, known as Beauty Under The Moon in Japanese, is a type of cactus flower that blooms only at night. It resembles a water lily but can be differentiated by its pointed petals. The flowers are known for their enchanting fragrance too, which makes it a perfect metaphor for maiko and geiko! You can see how ethereal it looks under the moonlight, just like with Toshiemi (とし恵美) of Komaya (駒屋) in Miyagawa Cho below:
Image courtesy of Toshimana.
Image courtesy of Kazurasei. Tsubaki (椿) - Camellia Months: February and March What look at the creations of Kazurasei would be complete without its signature symbol!? Kazurasei is known for its camellia oil and many of their products have a picture of a camellia on it. Camellias are an interesting flower as they’re one of the first plants to bloom during the new year, often when there’s still snow on the ground. However, it’s not usually considered a herald of spring like plum blossoms are, but rather a symbol of endurance during the winter; this is because camellia blossoms don’t actually have a scent and thus do not attract animals and insects from afar. The oil that can be harvested from the plant does produce a pleasant smell though. Maiko often add camellia oil to their hair as it gives it a nice sheen and the scent hides the fact that their hair is only washed and set once each week. Since maiko are synonymous with this product it’s no surprise that Mamehana (豆はな) of Ninben (亻) in Gion Kobu below actually did some promotional work for Kazurasei while wearing camellia kanzashi ^^!
Image courtesy of Little Valley Jewels.