Kanzashi of The Month: January - 2023′s Design

On The Twelfth Day Of Fun I present... this year’s kanzashi! Thank you to everyone who’s been following along with the features this year! If I didn’t get to your ask during TTDOF then please know that I still may have it kicking around and will get to it eventually. For now, let’s look at what 2023′s bringing us!

Image courtesy of Shigemori.  Sensu (扇子) - Folding Fans Matsu (松) - Pine Kangiku (寒菊) - Winter Chrysanthemum This year’s kanzashi has a nice, classic look to it with shiny folding fans accented with bright green pine! It’s cute to notice that the plum blossoms on the middle of the fans cover each color that plum blossoms bloom in (white, pink, and red) and don’t repeat. The pine makes a very bold and masculine statement to balance out the very feminine folding fans and plum blossoms, giving it a yin yang feel. As usual, we have kangiku acting as a base, with pink and white being used for senior maiko, like Fukusono above. 

Image courtesy of Kazurasei.  2023 just happens to be the Year of The Rabbit in the Asian zodiac! Known for being the luckiest of the twelve animals, rabbits are also blessed with intellect and charm. In Japanese mythology it is said that a rabbit resides on the moon pounding mochi (rice cakes). There’s an interesting story of how the rabbit got on the moon in the first place: One day the king of the gods came through the forest disguised as a beggar. Various animals all came to offer the beggar something to eat, but the rabbit could only provide grass. In an act of self sacrifice, the rabbit threw itself onto a fire to cook itself for the beggar. The king, recognizing the rabbit’s sacrifice, placed the rabbit on the moon for all to see and thus the rabbit now lives on the moon ^^