What’s In a Pocchiri? Part 10

Double digits for another feature! I’ve really enjoyed looking into the materials and motifs that make up the karyukai’s most expensive accessories, and I hope you have too! With that said, let’s look into another piece!

Image courtesy of Exclusive Kyoto. Materials: Gold, Silver, Jade, and Ceramic Motifs: Battledore, Rocking Horse, Sea Bream, Pinwheel, and Soul Stone (Children’s Toys) Owned By: Tama (多麻) in Gion Kobu I chose this one for the sheer amount of symbolism as it’s so incredibly complex and full of wonderful items that it would be a shame to put it off any longer. Just by looking at it you may notice this giant jumble of odd motifs, but in actually they’ve all got one thing in common: they’re children’s toys! Most of these motifs can even be found on junior maiko kanzashi in December as lucky charms too! Looking at this layer by layer, we can see the following: Hagoita (羽子板)/Battledore: A popular game played during New Year’s celebrations. It’s very closely related to badminton as the purpose is to hit a shuttlecock into the air, bounce it back and forth, and whoever misses it and lets it touch the ground loses. It’s quite common to buy luxurious battledore to hang in one’s house during New Year’s as well, often times depicting anything from kabuki to Disney characters!  Mokuba (木馬)/Rocking Horse: A staple around the world, this wooden rocking horse is a popular toy that allows children to experience the thrill of riding a pretend horse. It is often times linked with masculinity. Tai (鯛)/Sea Bream: Another masculine symbol, they are often eaten during momentous occasions for good luck. It’s a very popular dish for misedashi and erikae too! This one appears to be on a small platform with wheels, making it a pull toy known as Taiguruma (sea bream car).  Kazeguruma (風車)/Pinwheel: Another popular toy found around the world, pinwheels can often be found planted in gardens where children watch them spin in the wind. Mitsu Tomoe (三つ巴)/Three Souls: Often used as a symbol of protection, these three commas in a circle are believed to ward off bad luck and help with growth.  As for the materials, they’re a bit easier to identify due to its simplicity. The entire piece is done in silver with gold plating covering most parts. Around the mitsu tomoe rests a jade circle and the sea bream is made from porcelain. In the past the sea bream was likely made from coral as older pictures have shown that it’s definitely been replaced over the years and the previous decoration looked like a coral carving. I admit that I like the new ceramic look as it makes it feel more like a real toy! Other parts were also silver colored in the past, hence why I can conclude that it’s gold plate that was reapplied and not solid gold. Here we can see it being worn by the lovely Mameryū (まめ柳):

Image courtesy of Exclusive Kyoto.