What’s In a Pocchiri? Part 2

This feature got a great amount of feedback, so let’s keep shining a spotlight on the treasures of the karyukai! For more information about why most materials are chosen and a bit of back story click here ^^

Image courtesy of Yukari Kato. Materials: Coral, Rose Quartz, Jade, Citrine, Garnet/Tourmaline, Diamond/Cubic Zirconia, and Enamel Motifs: Lucky Treasure Ship Owned By: Masunoya (桝之矢) in Pontocho What else could represent the treasures of the gods better than a treasure boat filled with them!? This specific type of ship is known as a Takarabune (宝船), which translates as “Treasure Ship” and is an emblem of the Shichifukujin (七福神), who are the Seven Lucky Gods. The materials used here are all interesting, but let’s step back a bit so that we can understand it all a bit better. This pocchiri is old, and “old” for a pocchiri is anything over 30+ years since they didn’t really come into prominence until the 1950s. There’s images of Masunoya girls wearing this piece as far back as the 1980s, so clearly it has been well loved. The first place that we can easily see wear is on the enamel. A few decades ago it was actually fairly common to see some enamel on pocchiri, and even a few pocchiri were made exclusively from enamel by skilled artisans. Nowadays instead of enamel we tend to see metals and shells account for these colors in a bid to be even more extravagant than those of the past. The enamel used for this piece is white for the sails and a dark, almost bronze colored brown for the base of the boat and the mast. You can see where constant use over the years has rubbed away some of the enamel from the sides to show its silver exterior. The small coral flower on the bottom left of the piece has also been chipped, likely due to an accident from brushing up against things over many decades. However, pocchiri are given the respect for the craftsmanship that initially went into them, so unless a very important piece breaks or falls off then it’s left as is to appreciate its age and the story that it carries. Without a detailed look at the piece it’s impossible to know what all of the gems are for sure, but the majority remain easy to spot. The large tear drop shaped rose quartz stands as a focal point along with the natural shaped coral that appears to be holding a citrine in its branches. At the top and bottom of the sail we have two dark green jade cabochons and what is either a garnet or possibly a tourmaline at the bottom. To show different colors of coral we also see a small coral bead at the top of the rose quartz, the aforementioned carved coral flower, and a dark orange coral cabochon on the bottom right. The three clear stones are a bit of a mystery as diamonds aren’t unheard of for pocchiri, but that many and of such high quality definitely are. However, I do want to lean more towards cubic zirconia as diamonds are so incredibly reflective that it’s practically impossible to see through them to their mount, but on the smallest stone I can clearly the see the bottom of the mount and we can get a hint of that brown enamel. This won’t really affect much except for the overall value, but since that doesn’t really matter here since we’re more interested in its craftsmanship rather than its cost. Like last time, here’s an image of the piece being worn by maiko Shinaju (志奈寿):

Image courtesy of Yocca.

What’s In a Pocchiri? Part 1

On The Third Day Of Fun I present... the brand new feature! Pocchiri, the special obidome that maiko wear, are the most expensive piece of any outfit in the karyukai. Centuries ago they actually functioned liked special belt buckles that would lock together to form a motif, but over time became more ornate and adapted to changing times. Instead of having to sew an obijime together with the pocchiri to form a belt the newer versions have loops on the back that now slide onto obijime. The ease in changing the pieces and global trade allowed for them to be made of precious metals and act as a focal point of wealth rather than a simple clasp that helped to keep an obi tied.  Modern pocchiri are made from the materials that make up Shippō (七宝), which are the Seven Lucky Treasures that are spoken of in Buddhist sutras. They include: Hari (玻璃) - Quartz Gin (銀) - Silver Kin (金) - Gold Menō (瑪瑙) - Agate Ruri (瑠璃) - Lapis Lazuli Shinju (真珠) - Pearl/Mother of Pearl Sango (珊瑚) - Coral  Wearing pocchiri made from these treasures is meant to bring good luck, plus it promotes the use of native precious and semi-precious stones and materials. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the first example:

Image courtesy of Onihide-san. Materials: Gold, Silver, Mother of Pearl, Pearl, and Coral Motifs: Butterflies, Canola or Oxalis Blossoms, and Wind Owned By: Fukushima (福嶋) okiya in Gion Kobu This piece was chosen for two main reasons; the first is that we get to see the piece not being worn, which allows us to specifically focus on it and not the entire outfit. The second is that the flower parts are actually a bit debatable! Surprisingly, canola blossoms and oxalis (clover) blossoms look very similar as they both have four heart shaped petals. They’re also motifs found in the spring when butterflies begin to awaken from their winter slumber. However, canola blossoms are yellow whereas oxalis blossoms tend to be white, pink, or purple. But, if I had to choose, I’d actually go with canola blossoms for this one as there is a song/dance in the Inoue repertoire called Nanoha (菜の花), the name for canola blossoms, which is the story of a butterfly deciding which canola blossom to land on. Also, oxalis are most commonly seen with three petals, but since four isn’t unheard of I decided to add it anyway as you can never be too sure. The wind motif that the main motifs rest upon is meant to invoke the image of a slight breeze that moves both the butterflies and flowers around. As a special bonus, here’s maiko Fumino (章乃) wearing this piece:

Image courtesy of Onihide-san.

What’s That Thing? Part 19

I really liked this question to begin with, but the added information from looking a bit deeper just made it so neat!

Anonymous asked: “Hi Myloko! This is a motif identification request. The motif shows interlocking circles. Where the circles interlock there are 4-petal flower diamonds. In the middle of the circles, there's another symmetrical flower. Do you know what it's called? Thanks in advance!” They did provide a link, so let’s start by looking at the image in question:   

Image courtesy of Kotone.105. Before people get confused, this is an image from a few years ago of maiko (now geiko) Kikukame (菊亀) in Nara so, yes, this is an image of a real maiko and not a tourist. With that said, let’s look at the basics here. The main motif here is called Shippō (七宝), which are the Seven Lucky Treasures courtesy of Buddhist sutras (specifically the Life and Lotus sutras). These treasures are: Kin (金) - Gold Gin (銀) - Silver Shinju (真珠) - Pearl/Mother of Pearl Sango (珊瑚) - Coral Hari (玻璃) - Quartz Ruri (瑠璃) - Lapis Lazuli Menō (瑪瑙) - Agate You may not know this, but the most expensive component of a maiko’s outfit is fashioned to display said items: the pocchiri. Whether they’re antiques or made by new jewellers, most pocchiri will feature at least two or more of these treasures! Now, you may be asking, “where are the treasures in this obi?” Well, shippō presents as wedges that are often interlocked into rings in their simplified forms. This form is meant to act as a type of good luck charm that promotes luck and wealth. However, looking at the obi we can see that all of the shippō connect together to form an almost infinite chain of circles. In its infinite chain form shippō embodies the expansion of harmony and peace. But wait, there’s more! Those flowery motifs added in are what compound together to create a pattern with deeper meaning. Inside and outside of the shippō we see stylized flowers that spread out into four points. These are Hanabishi (花菱), which literally mean “Diamond Shaped Flowers” and have been a popular geometric design since the Heian Period. Due to their prolonged use they’ve become symbols of simplistic refinement. It’s no surprise that a four petaled flower is speculated to have a deeper meaning that can vary depending on who you ask. Hanabishi can represent many values, such as the cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west), the four basic elements (earth air, water, and fire), and the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter).  Together, shippō and hanabishi form an entirely new motif known as Hana Wachigai (花輪違), which means “Interlocking Flower Rings.” It brings together all of the symbolism of the shippō and hanabishi to create an almost ethereal combination ^^!