What’s That Thing? Part 8

A topic that’s come up in the past (and the answer can be found on the tabs), but I feel as though it needs a more thorough explanation. Anonymous asked: “Just curious, but do you know what the reason/tradition is behind the green tsunagi dango kanzashi Gion Kobu maiko wear when they’re ” Yes, I do know why it’s done, but to understand the reasoning behind it, we need to go back to the 19th century. This story has been told on here before a few times so I won’t completely rehash it, but when Yachiyo Inoue III was granted a “wish” by the governor of Kyoto for the very successful (and first) Miyako Odori that was held during the World Expo of 1872, Yachiyo III’s request was to split Gion into eight neighbourhoods where only her school of dancing was to be taught.

That image was scanned from a copy of Gion Quarterly, which is a publication that details the happenings in Gion Kobu, and shows the original eight neighbourhoods of Gion Kobu, which are: Kitagawa (北川) (祇北) Minamigawa (南川) (祇南) Tominaga Cho (富永町) (富) Sueyoshi Cho (末吉町) (末) Motoyoshi Cho (元吉町) (元) Kiyomoto Cho (清本町) (清) Hashimoto Cho (橋本町) (橋) Rinka Cho (林町) (林) Since Gion was (and still is) made up of a multitude of neighbourhoods, she basically cut the current Gion into two parts - Kobu and Shinchi (now Higashi). These neighbourhoods have split even further since the original eight, with new ones like Yasaka Cho (八坂町) and Hanami Cho (花見町) taking the place of the old ones. Gion Kobu is so proud of their neighbourhoods that they’re even written on the shashigami that are sent around to announce a misedashi or erikae. After the split Kobu went on to use eight dumplings (Tsunagi Dango) with the “甲” kanji in the middle as their new symbol, which was a bit like Kamishichiken’s (the lanterns of Gion Kobu and Kamishichiken have the same design with inverted colors). Eventually Shinchi (Higashi) adopted the eight plain dumplings as their symbol, so this became a bit confusing to people. One of the reasons why the tsunagi dango kanzashi exists is to show that a young maiko belongs to Gion Kobu and not Gion Higashi. The first use of the jade tsunagi dango kanzashi started around the late 1950s, but was picked up by almost every okiya by the 1970s when Japan was really hitting its stride after recovering from the war and becoming an economic powerhouse. More people than ever were coming to Japan for tourism, and the kabukai in each district wanted to promote the distinct “flavors” of each kagai. With Gion Kobu being the most prestigious, they wanted a way for their maiko to be instantly recognizable, but they weren’t too sure how to go about doing this. As a nod to her heritage of growing up within the city, an okasan from a now forgotten okiya commissioned a maezashi that was the symbol of Gion Kobu for her maiko to wear. As to why it’s jade and not the more commonly used coral is unknown, but it was the perfect way to show that the maiko wearing it was from Gion Kobu. This trend eventually caught on to the point where it’s now a tradition.

Image courtesy of a friend who wishes to remain anonymous. Having a maiko wear it until she’s 18 shows that she’s still a child whose decisions are made for her, so by the time that she does turns 18 (which is usually when she’ll become a senior) she can then choose her own maezashi.  

What’s That Thing? Part 6

I loved this question and noticed that it’s really hard to find English writing on the subject, so this is a great opportunity to teach ^^! Anonymous asked: “I’ve recently seen things about transparent kimono and it’s making me kinda curious, but obviously with Google search it just comes up with awkward sales deals and such so I was hoping I could ask you! Is this actually a thing? Is it seasonal? Do they wear extra layers or is it just not very transparent?” I know exactly what you’re referring to. They’re called Hagoromo (羽衣) and are named after the feathered robes that gods wear to fly to heaven. They’ve been used on stage for a very long time, but have recently become popular for weddings as it gives the traditional bride look an extra air of elegance and, well, a bit of an ethereal quality. They’re always worn on top of a furisode, usually a plain kakeshita, as they are incredibly sheer and more of an accent piece than a “main” piece of clothing. They're used in lieu of traditional uchikake. Here’s an example of what a hagoromo looks like on a modern bride: Front:

Back:

Images courtesy of Watabe Weddings. Sometimes the hagoromo are just plain, but ones with flowers or patterns, like on the example above, are the most popular. They’re always worn like a hikizuri as the trailing section gives the illusion of a woman transformed into an ethereal being. Here’s another example in purple: Front:

Back:

Images courtesy of Watabe Weddings. Since weddings take place all year round, hagoromo tend to be all seasonal and are not usually tied to one specific time of the year. Often times they’ll feature non-classical flowers such as orchids (like in the image above). They make for truly memorable outfits that will have people talking for many years to come. Due to cost, hagoromo will likely only be used for weddings in the future, but I wouldn’t be surprised if slightly shorter versions start popping up for Seijinshiki.

Image courtesy of Makaranya. If you’re having problems finding hagoromo then try searching for “Ōgan Wasō” (オーガン和装), which literally means “Organza Japanese Style Clothing” as some sellers will list them under both names ^^

What’s That Thing? Part 1

A new twist on answering questions, this series will be used for questions that people ask that require a bit more explaining or questions about certain items found in online images. Today, we’re looking at a question with an image attached. @hanamachi-mai​ asked: “Hi. I saw this photo of Toshiemi and noticed this beautiful kanzashi. Is it kiku? If so, why in September? Could you tell something about this kanzashi/what kind of flower is this?”

Image is courtesy of Yamasato.y on Instagram. I really like it when maiko choose to have unique and/or custom kanzashi, and this one of Toshiemi is a great example. To help explain what we’re looking at I also want to add this image which shows us the kanzashi a bit better:

Image of courtesy of Woodstemple on Instagram. Toshiemi is wearing a very rare Queen of The Night (Gekka Bijin - 月下美人) kanzashi. In Japanese their name means “Beauty Under The Moon” and, like their namesake, only bloom at night. They’re actually the flowers of a special cactus Epiphyllum oxypetalum that are native to Asia. It is very similar looking to a Waterlily (Suiren - 水蓮) kanzashi. The kanji for waterlily literally means “Water Lotus” as a lotus traditionally blooms in muddy areas and not ponds or lakes like the waterlily. The last time I can recall a maiko wearing a waterlily kanzashi was Katsutomo (佳つ智) of Odamoto (小田本) in Gion Kobu back in 2015. You can check out her cute pink waterlily and frog kanzashi to compare to Toshiemi’s:

Image courtesy of Sankei News. Like most summer motifs the queen of the night and waterlily can be worn from June to September as this is when the plants bloom. To tell them apart easier you can check out the small addition of the frog. The frog is a cute addition as they can often be seen basking on the leaves of waterlilies during the daytime. They are akin to the snails that can sometimes be found on hydrangea kanzashi as snails tend to appear when it’s just rained and hydrangeas are known to be water loving plants. Water and water-related motifs are said to bring to mind cool thoughts during the oppressive Kyoto summers, but with the queen of the night it brings to mind the coolness that comes with the night when the flower blooms ^^ 

Live Stream Time!

The one hour live stream will be taking place tomorrow, February 28th at 22:00 GMT (5PM EST, 2PM PST). I’ll be hosting it via Youtube, so you can click here to be directed to the stream! An archived copy will then be available afterwards to anyone who missed it. I hope to see you all there ^^!