Bebe Taian

Old Memories

2012-02-29T01:04:00.001-05:00

Not really, actually.

I don't tend to retain memories very well. Tomorrow I might have to look at my schedule to see what I did today. Yay for brain injuries. I guess there's an upside: whatever happens will have to be pretty traumatic to really stay with me... for the rest, there's journals, right?

But I found this one lying around on the hard drive. It's about two years old, I think, from before I chopped my hair short for the Matter of Trust boom project (post-Gulf oil spill). My hair was so, so long then. I was still unpacking boxes from moving in... from what, six months to a year before? I took it slowly. I guess it had something to do with trepidation. I've never stayed in one place for long enough to bother unpacking much.

But I had a desk to work on, and jewellery to make, back when I did that sort of thing. Before it became everybody's thing, I had an Etsy store that I opened in... 2005? 2006? Something like that. Jewellery, of course. Gothy stuff, pagan-y stuff, or just wire-wrapped fantasy stuff like woven leaves from beads and metal wrapped into bronze wreaths accented with gold. I mean, tiny leaves, sometimes studded with glass seed beads. I loved the work, but so much time invested, and so little return. And yet, I kept pushing to make things right up until last year...

And of course, kimono was the most comfortable thing to wear. Silk feels amazing on a bad day. Migraine? Nerve pain? Wrap up in silk. You'll hurt slightly less. And you'll look fabulous, no matter what. <3

Over 9000!

2012-02-27T20:24:00.004-05:00

Today I hit 9001 page views! <3 Ookini arigatousan gozaimasu!

I see that I've also been mentioned in the comments on an article about Lime Crime Cosmetics. I've heard some interesting things about them, and most of them aren't good. They rank up there with Orglamix and Glittersniffer. Oy. But the comment at least was friendly!

I'm also wondering why I'm being referenced to by what appears to be a Russian meme website. ??? I don't get the joke. ::FOREVER ALONE::

But thank you, everyone!

As well, I consider my Ebay clearancing to be a huge success. I undersold everything for what I paid for it, but I needed it out of the apartment so that I can make room for my private collection. I unpacked and refolded everything on Friday before work, and I need two drawers for my obi alone! I currently have my juban and yukata hanging up because there is no room for them. O.o My wedding dress is also on a hanger! I'll have to take photos with the obi sometime. <3

Picspam time!

2012-02-26T14:31:00.001-05:00

Lots of quick photos before I go to work. Just click on each to see them in a larger size. And there are so much more to come...

Private Collection: Red Iromuji + Maru Obi

2012-02-25T13:58:00.000-05:00

Just taking a few photos while reorganizing my collection.

I've been weeding out what I wear, what I don't wear, and what I will never be able to wear due to the nature of the item (ie, wedding items I no longer need, childrens' items, etc.). Now that I've also rearranged all the furniture in my room, and gotten rid of a few pieces, I'm having to downsize and come up with new cat-proof ways of storing my clothes. Too many beautiful things have been (accidentally) destroyed by a cat's claws... and yet, I'm running out of room. This is part of why I need to get with a local museum and put some of the more fabulous Taisho and Meiji items on display; raise public awareness and appreciation for antique Japanese textiles, and... well, just to have more room.

But while I was doing that, I figured it would be a good time to get photos of an outfit I love while the lighting is good!

A red Heisei-era synthetic iromuji with a speckled woven pattern, paired with a silk/synthetic blend maru obi. The maru obi is post Taisho, I think, but it probably isn't much newer than the 50s. A red-orange silk obijime paired with a while silk obiage with a shibori matsu pattern, outlined in gold thread, match the colours and patterns in the maru obi. The bright reds and oranges are so vibrant in person! <3 And the sparse bits of black threads really pop in this obi!

This is another one of those times when I wish I had a better camera. It's clearly losing its' ability to focus, either up close or from a distance. I think it's finally time to start saving back for one. My old 3.5MP Kodak is just outdated, and it's been through too much to continue. Maybe this month, I'll make a little extra and get a good deal on a new one!

Ending soon!

2012-02-24T02:01:00.001-05:00

Ending soon, near today at noon (Eastern time, that is)!

- Silver metallic haneri for formal furisode or odori kimono

- Burgundy formal haneri with metallic sakura

- Cute, casual asanoha pink haneri

- Taisho era (1912-1926) striped komon

- Pink silk shibori obiage with kikko/tortoiseshell pattern

- Pink shibori obiage with vine pattern

Ending in two days:

- Burgundy fabric panel

- Formal round-braided pink obijime

- Stiff metallic tsuke obi bolt

Plus much more stuff to be listed/to be re-listed at the first of the month! I sold a few items, such as a kimono and a furoshiki, but I have so, so much more in my closets. I can't shut my drawers anymore! Eek! Well, time to weed out favourites...

2nd Month: Kisaragi/Kinusaragi

2012-02-22T18:50:00.000-05:00

"Kisaragi" - Utagawa Kunisada I

Today begins kisaragi/kinusaragi (depending on writing and area, I think), which means "changing of clothes", or "wear more clothes". This time of the year was traditionally the middle of winter, which started in late December/early January, and lasts until March. This would be the time to pull out the heavier-padded juban and change your collars to something more appropriate.

Today, I think Kisaragi is now considered to be aligned with January 1st, but traditionally, this is the day. The name 'kisaragi' is still understood, but is no longer used except for in greeting cards and such. New Years' Day as it is celebrated today was introduced in 1948, although the Gregorian calender has been adopted in Japan since the late 1800s, during the Meiji era.

By now, we are nearing the beginning of March. Plum blossoms should be in full bloom, in reds turning to pink and white; a mimicry of both plum blossoms in snow, and an allusion to the colours of sakura to come! And of course, feel free to mimic in-season ukiyo-e by wearing asanoha, sayagata, or ivy-pattern fabrics in reds, greens, purples, and yellows. Are you inspired? <3

Private Collection: Taisho Roman

2012-02-20T17:29:00.000-05:00

I bought this Taisho silk komon so long ago, I don't even remember who I got it from. (Maybe also from Shinei/Ryu?) It's modern in the use of bold stripes and patterns, but overall, I'd think it was Roman(tic) in the use of traditional patterns on the super-soft woven silk, flowers, and colour choices. I've worn it a few times before with one or two obi, but... nothing ever felt quite 'right' in the combination. I think at one point I wore my red nagoya obi with it, but it just wasn't fitting the feeling of the kimono, despite the matching colours. I have a black silk Taisho haori with shippou patterns that I tend to wear over it, as well.

But then, I got a surprise.

The asa no ha obi I talked about earlier arrived on Saturday. I only just got the chance to open it up and air it out. The smell of mothballs can be powerful, but it's a common scent in Japan where clothing is in real danger of damage from invading insects. I unfolded the obi to hang it up and... it's double-sided! A chuya obi!

The obi was listed as a girl's shibori obi, but I could tell from the photo that the fabric was printed, and not even in shibori style. By the measurements, I also guessed that it is a woman's obi (gyaru/onna) which could be translated to 'girl'/'female', but that normally, this sellers' use of 'girl' means a child (onna no ko). Probably, I could wear it. The photos available show a flat-black obi backing of black silk that looked somewhat faded or thin. The actuality of the fabric is that it is not stained, only that it looks like a faded black overdyed in red to give it an odd shiny black-burgundy look. That, and the silk is not plain shushu all the way through... it's woven! <3

About five feet of the obi is woven in karabana, tachibana, and shippou patterns! What an exciting find! I was already wanting to pair the asa no ha side with my Taisho kimono, as well as adding a black velvet collar to it for style, but this! This is just too perfect. The black front with the patterned side exposed over black collars with red accessories like a shibori obiage and red obijime, with the asa no ha side showing for the otaiko... the concept is just too awesome!
(Sorry about the lighting, but this shows the most accurate versions of the colour...)

Now, to find someplace to wear it...

Usui: Rainwater

2012-02-19T17:57:00.000-05:00

Usui is the second term of the solar calendar in the Japanese old traditional calendar.'Usui' refers to wateriness, or in this case, rain water. This does not necessarily mean that it is the rainy season in Japan, since the calendar is Chinese in origin and was imported by the relatively newly-established Japanese society.

Remember that China and Japan once used the same lunisolar system, with both a lunar cycle set and a solar cycle set. The nijuushi sekki are the 24 sets of seasons, which are further divided by 3 for a total of 72 seasons. Some 'seasons' last only a day, especially for special solar/lunar events. Those who pay very close attention to this calendar may develop a more keen eye when looking at what someone is wearing for a special event, such as festival clothing that only comes out once a year!

Perhaps you could go one of two ways with clothing today. Either dress in bright, popping colours to remind people of the coming dry weather full of flowers and hues, or go with the weather and wear water-themed or cool-coloured clothing that matches your environment, such as grey, purple, and blue kimono on a dreary day.

Ara ma.

2012-02-17T12:44:00.002-05:00

I'm an idiot. Did you know that? It's true. So, I was bringing in groceries, and I thought I had my hand on the outside of the car door. Except that I can't always feel my fingertips... and I ended up closing one in the car door. Auuughh. That hurt. Kind of black and swollen today. I think I cracked the bone. The nerves are definitely out of whack. So, I'm taking a bit off of blogging until I get it sorted out. Fun, eh?

More than likely, I'll do some back-posting on the stuff I missed. There's a few seasonal changes coming. ^_^ Plus, I still have some manners/psych posts.

I bought hooks!

2012-02-15T11:49:00.000-05:00

So, the long story short, is that I'm selling off a tonne of kimono due to economic reasons. This means that the normally-priced items at BebeTaian are going at LEAST half-off. Now is the time, if you want something awesome for cheap!

- Reclaimed vintage kimono silk in burgundy for crafts
- Red vintage bingata furoshiki
- Bolt of stiff silver fabric for tsuke obi
- Round-braided flamingo pink obijime cord
- Pre-WW2 synthetic komon
- Dusty pink awase iromuji kimono
- Taisho striped kimono in modern colours
- Three obijime, in green, pink, and blue
- Round-braided red obijime cord
- Purple silk juban, perfect for fabric

I bought extra-strength hooks to hang my kimono rod up on the wall (no holes in the walls here, even for relatively permanent fixtures. -_-) , so I should be taking more photos of awesome kimono stuff this week! I just need to rearrange the room to get the most light out of a dark apartment. We're away from the sun, so getting adequate pictures of large items has proven to be difficult at best.

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone!

2012-02-14T14:33:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

This is another cute holiday imported and instituted by candy companies and other industries in Japan. Even so, it's one day in the year that you can somewhat break societal expectations by giving a guy chocolates without too much embarrassment. In Japan, it's the women who give chocolate to their Valentines, and sometimes to close friends. Then, on White Day in March, the guys return the Valentine by giving girls white chocolate!

Of course, not all chocolate given on this day is "love-chocolate" (honmei-choko). Women also tend to give chocolate or small gifts to bosses, coworkers, or other people they are bound to by a sense of 'on-giri', so don't get too many ideas! This sense of indebtedness to coworkers or supporters means that at any opportunity, reciprocal gifts must be given, including on Valentine's Day. Make sure the person you are receiving from is really interested in you before making a move.

Also, don't panic too much. Or else, an XKCD comic will happen to you.

Private Collection: Zori, Vintage Haori, + Phoenix Kimono

2012-02-14T14:21:00.000-05:00

This haori is a new addition to my collection, courtesy of Bika-Bika-san!

It's a vintage piece, and the lining has obviously been replaced with some kind of pink synthetic brocade, but OMG it is sooo comfortable. In the photo (from Bika's Flickr), it looks very orange and wrinkled. She must've ironed it before sending it out because it came wrinkle-free! It's also more of a pinkish salmon colour, with an orange tint. I was happy to wear it on my second day of owning it, when I went to lunch with my husband and parents-in-law. Tip: no time to dress in kimono? Wear haori over a nice shirt and jeans. It's comfy and styling. Add a wide belt, if you like. My haori has himo attached, so I skip the belt, but quite a few haori are sold without himo, so...

She also sent me a cute new pair of zori, and a gorgeous sha phoenix kimono! I can't wait to wear it, but it'll have to wait for summer. I have to think of an obi to go with it. I'd really like a white sha hakata obi, but that's dreaming, isn't it? Even so, maybe by then I'll find one...

Yeah, I think I'll have to get new shoes to go with it, too. Something in blue. I already have a pair of natural wooden geta. I should probably get some strong nylon cord for ties (to secure the hanao at the bottom) and some fabric to make my own. I believe I have some nice velvet scraps laying around, and I KNOW I have a lot of kimono fabric scraps waiting to be used...

It's such a pretty kimono. I hope I can do it justice.

So happy! Ookini arigatou-san gozaimasu, Bika-bika-san! <3

Kenkoku Kinenbi, National Foundation Day

2012-02-12T15:14:00.001-05:00

Jinmu-tenno, from Wikimedia Common

Yesterday was Kenkoku Kinenbi, National Foundation Day. I'd like to have written it yesterday, but I ended up working all weekend. Actually, I'm supposed to be in again in an hour. So, maybe only a quick post for now?

National Foundation Day is on Feb. 11th every year. On this day, it is said that the first Japanese Emperor, Jinmu-tennou, established the new country in 660BCE (before common era), placing the original capital in Yamato. However, this actual date is uncertain. There are no records of his life or his reign, and indeed, there aren't any actual, firm, verifiable records of any ruler until the 29th Emperor or so. In fact, most modern historians and archeologists aren't even sure if he actually even existed himself, or if he was a historical composite figure of many legends and myths that became widely known and accepted. Curiously, Jinmu-tenno was born on the first day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calender, on Feb. 13th, 660BCE (much the same way various religious figures of the West were all born on the same date, which happens to coincide with celestial activity; see Christ, Mithra, Attis, and Horus).

Regardless, this is the date that is traditionally held today for the event, established during the Meiji era in 1872. There are some very intriguing political reasons behind the establishment of this holiday. Meiji-tenno was fighting claims regarding his legitimacy as Emperor after the Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown, and establishing a holiday that would link him with Jinmu, son of the Sun-goddess Ameterasu, in the eyes of the public would ensure his stay on the throne. Originally, the holiday was established as Kigensetsu, "Empire Day", on January 29th- the same year as Meiji-tenno implemented the national change from the traditional lunisolar calendar to the Western Gregorian calender. However, because of the original date, no one paid attention to it and saw it as only the usual Lunar New Year. A year later, in 1873, he then moved it to February 11th, but never disclosed how this day was calculated. Kigensetsu became one of the four major holidays in Japan until the 1940s, when it was temporarily abolished after WW2 due to it's extreme Shinto-based, nationalistic overtones. Ironically, Feb. 11th of 1946 was the date General MacArthur approved the draft version of the Japanese Constitution. Kigensetsu was re-established during 1966, this time under the modern name of Kenkoku Kinenbi, in order to once again unify a broken country and to show national strength and patriotism.

Another interesting note: "kenkoku" is a double-entendre word, similar to the way "shi" works. "Kenkoku", said one way, means "National foundation". Said/written another way, it means "Detestable nation". I am certain that many an essay has been written on the subject using this play of words.

Hari-kuyo, Sewing Needle Memorial Service

2012-02-08T23:15:00.000-05:00

Did you know that Japan has a memorial service for worn out or broken sewing needles? Neither did I, until today! They have one for many human-like objects such as dolls, but I didn't know about sewing needles!

Every year on Feb. 8th, or in some places, Dec. 8th, there is a kuyo service for hari, sewing needles. One sticks them into a firm block of tofu or konnyaku (which I suggest you try if you're on a diet). They are then offered to a shrine.

It is a ritual of respect for the tools of the sewing/tailouring industry, and the lives they help support. This tradition dates back to at least the Edo era, when men and women would dress up in their best clothes and hold a funerary service for all of the needles and tools broken in service that year. This service involves a three-tier altar at the shrine (usually, kuyo is a Buddhist ceremony, but Shinto shrines will hold them, too). The bottom tier is for accessories such as scissors, measuring implements, things like this. The second is for the block of tofu or konnyaku, where everyone will put their needles to be laid to rest. The third is for food offerings, usually white mochi cakes, fruit, or things like this. When someone uses something for a long time, especially a thing that supports your livelihood, it can gain a spirit of it's own. It is this spirit that the food offerings are made for. Then, the priests will say prayers or sutras in order to soothe the spirits of the broken needles, and to bless those who used them, finally praying that the energy put into these objects will be bestowed again on their users so that their skills may improve in the next year.

Sewing on this day is completely taboo.

There is an article here on the subject. It is a few years old, and is short, but worth the read.
There is another written at a kimono blog that I love to read.
There are many lively photos at this persons' Google+ album!

Happy Birthday!

2012-02-06T12:27:00.000-05:00

I've been hearing it all morning. ^_^ It isn't unpleasant. Just a reminder that I'm another year older. Not sure how I feel. I feel like I'm finally matching the approximate age I was in my head... fifteen years ago. But I've advanced since then. Not that my body matches what I think it is in my head to begin with, but at least the age is catching up. And today, I'm taking time to relax and do... virtually nothing.

Normally, I'd post a Mannered Mondays article, but I think I have three to edit and post. The difficulty I'm encountering with them is that I don't simply want to "Open Book"-model things; I want to paraphrase or expand certain things, talk about examples, etc. that one source alone doesn't always do. The thing is, my writing skills... are less than awesome. And I don't want to mess things up and misrepresent something, since I'm not an actual resident of Japan and didn't grow up there. It's taking me a lot longer to write about some articles than I anticipated, so I think I've decided to do them twice a month instead of every week. That will still give me... the three I completed, the three I'm behind, and 23 more articles. At least that will still give me time to write about something else!

Finances have been tight, but DH has gotten me an awesome birthday present. Besides things like making me tea and getting me chocolate cupcakes with strawberries this morning, he's buying me a gorgeous obi. My favourite pattern: asa no ha!

If the measurements are correct, it's about 14 feet long (432cm) and just over 10 inches wide (26.5cm). It's listed as a girls' obi, as if it were for children, but for how wide it is, I think it may be a hanhaba obi for women. It's a bright, theatrical piece, reminiscent of Junichi Nakahara's work. In fact...

Kinyoubi Kimono Challenge 2

2012-02-03T23:30:00.000-05:00

Previously, "How did you discover and get into kimono?"

2. Your dearest kimono item(s):

This was the first kimono my husband bought for me. Technically, we bought it before we had the marriage paperwork, largely because I object to a legal system that tells me that I have to be tied to one person forever, and that I can only be with one person, or else I'm a 'bad' person. ::raises eyebrow at Puritanical, Christian-based legal system:: Needless to say, we considered ourselves to be partners long before Florida decided that we were.

Appropriately, the first purchase was a tomesode covered in open fans. It is Taisho-era, as evidenced by the longer sleeves and red lining. I purchased it from Ichiroya, along with a red silk juban with a REAL kinran eri. It was quite expensive, but it is very much in mint condition. I suppose the person who owned it had few formal opportunities to attend. I can understand. :P

We also purchased a Meiji-era maru obi, tan with birds, pine needles, and seigaiha wave patterns. Maru obi would have been worn with this type of kimono, so it made sense. Pine needles are a romantic symbol in weddings; when pine needles fall, they fall together. Birds and waves are about us; one of us, an Air sign, the other, Water, in Western astrology. I don't think I've ever seen an obi with horses and rabbits on it. ^_~ Of course, I later acquired a white and gold shouchikubai obiage, and a pale blue obijime to match the wave pattern. Now, I need shoes. I had a vintage pair of white and pale gold shoes, of the vinyl kind, but the plastic hanao broke while wearing them. Fortunately, I had a pair of flip-flop sandals in the car that day!

Another kimono is one that was purchased for my birthday. I wrote a little about this one here, while talking about the pros and cons of buying straight from Japan online. It appeared blue in the sellers' photos, but was actually royal purple! Which was perfect, because what I'd really wanted to begin with was a purple and red kimono. I later got the perfect obi for February, when my birthday is. <3 This year, I might wear something different, though... I am still deciding.

Next time: My most used kimono items (not including juban, datejime, erishin, etc.)

Setsubun is here!

2012-02-03T23:07:00.000-05:00

... and I worked straight through it.

There's an outfit that I keep talking about wearing, but I have to alter my juban to wear it. I'm wary of altering Taisho silks, so I'm trying to get a modern one that I won't feel bad about cutting new sleeves for.

Setsubun is a day of dressing up in costume! It's immensely fun. Liza Dalby talked about dressing up as a geisha on that day, back in the 70s. Technically, she was working as a geisha, but since she was only an anthropologist, it was acceptable because she was not *really* a geisha. Some dress up as kabuki characters, or other famous characters in history. Men may dress as women (although, this was once much more widely practiced in daily life a few hundred years ago), and old women may wear younger hairstyles, or vice-versa. Geisha still practice this custom with their clients today!

The name properly means "seasonal division", and is one day before the first of the nijuushi sekki, "Risshun" (Beginning of Spring), which falls between Feb. 2-4th according to the lunisolar calender. Even though it has been long-celebrated, Setsubun is not considered to be a national holiday. Setsubun is sort of a New Years' Eve, marking the end of the old season, and starting a new one.

On this day, cleansing rituals are performed. A long time ago, burning dried sardine heads was thought to be a sort of incense that would drive away evil. Certainly, it must have driven away people! Others would decorate doorways with fish heads and holy tree leaves, as well as special ropes, in order to achieve the same effect. Fasting and other rituals are practiced, and vary from place to place.

Today, it is usually only the mamemaki ritual of throwing roasted beans around the house and out the doors, chanting "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" (Devils out! Happiness in!) before picking up and eating the number of beans which corresponds to your age. Some areas eat this plus one, to ensure continuance for one extra year. The person who does the throwing is traditionally a male who is born of the animal of that lunar year (this year, the Dragon). If this person does not exist, the male head of household, or today, any head of household, will throw the beans. Some will dress as oni while throwing the beans! It's a very fun ritual, although increasingly, people are attending the ritual at shrines instead of doing it at home. Obviously, there would be a lot of work to do if you had to clean beans up from your house and front steps.

Shougazake (ginger sake) and ehomaki (a special sushi roll approx. 20cm long) are special foods to eat on this day. If one can eat an entire ehomaki by oneself, while completely silent throughout and while sitting and facing a particular lucky direction (the direction of the animal of that year), then one will have exceptionally good luck and good health! Historically, this practice started in the Kansai area, and spread outwards.

Mannered Mondays: Higengo Komyunikeishon

2012-02-01T13:39:00.000-05:00

Higengo Komyunikeishon (Nonverbal Communication)

This post is typed verbatim from Keys to the Japanese Heart + Soul, an excerpt from Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia with authors' notes at the bottom.

In the highly homogenous society of Japan, consciously learned and unconsciously absorbed etiquette and gestures account for a significant portion of the communication between individuals. Functioning as nonverbal cues, they set the context for verbal communication. Across a broad range of human relationships, beginning with that implied by the shared culture of Japan and extending to that of members of a profession, workplace, or family, essential information for the interpretation of a conversation is supplied by the silences and ellipses that link individual utterances.

Inculcation of silence as a means of communication begins with the relationship of mother and child. Japanese mothers place great importance on nonverbal communication with their children and foster the virtue of sunao*1 (uprightness; compliance). In the larger social framework, complex and interacting behavioural patterns such as the concepts of on*2 (favour; indebtedness) and giri*3 (obligation to act according to the principles of society in relation to other persons) condition communication between individuals. The social convention of avoiding of confrontation, manifested in the radical bifurcation of public and personal opinion, encourages silence or even concurrence in opinions contrary to one's true feelings. Silence concerning a matter may even convey concern about it, and apparently blithe remarks, deep feeling. Silences during a conversation are often felt to be a pleasant interval during which a shared atmosphere is savoured.

In Japan, the bow (ojigi), serves the same purpose as a handshake, but it can also, depending on its depth, signify a hierarchy between two or more persons. The smile, besides displaying pleasure, is also used to hide feelings of antagonism or deep unhappiness. Eye contact during a conversation is much less frequent than in Western countries, and if excessive, may be construed as threatening.

*1, sunao (defined according to pg. 109, Keys to the Japanese Heart + Soul.)
*2, on (pg. 65, "")
*3, giri (pg. 89, "")

Previously: Honne to Tatemae
Next: On, A Sense of Indebtedness

Coveted Kimono: Black Sails in the Sunset

2012-02-01T06:41:00.000-05:00

Black Sails hikizuri.

I've been looking at this hikizuri since around 2001-2002. There's actually several identical ones, which doesn't normally happen, since hikizuri intended for geisha tend to be one of a kind, made for the person wearing them. There's at least eight of these in existence. One person on the Immortal Geisha forums found a great scan from the 70s of some Yamashiro onsen (bath house) geisha wearing them!

Even so, I've easily been able to save $400 for a hikizuri like this... and yet, I've never done it. If I had money like that to spare, I've usually purchased something like new shoes (provided my old ones have been worn to pieces), good cookware, piles of other kimono... all but one of these.

I guess at first my reasons were that $400 at *once* was often unreachable. If I waited too long, any 'fun' money would eventually be spent on bills, household stuff like floor cleaner, whatever was going on. Little things, mostly. Snacks, or eating out. I preferred to spend on kimono once or twice a year. And I really do have so many now... a quantity of very pretty items over one spectacular item. But also, where am I going to wear a hikizuri? It would make sense if I had, say, a bedroom that was cat-free, where I could hang it up on the wall as art, but I don't. An everyday kimono, on the other hand, is still beautiful, and I can wear it wherever I'm going. This is what I thought then, and I still think it now.

But today I also think about another issue: the symbolism of wearing THIS particular kimono. It isn't a treasure ship, which is different- an auspicious symbol, a ship piled with magical items from Japanese lore. This is a black Western-style ship, and what do we know about Western ships and Japanese history? Think black warships when Perry went over and demanded that the country open itself, or there would be war. Some choice. It's one thing for a Japanese to wear that kimono, especially for a dance of some kind. It is a completely different thing for a white person to wear that kimono. I can't do it. I still think it's a beautiful piece, but... it's beautiful on a geisha. Not on me.

You wear karako (child motif), you are assumed to be motherly. You wear taiko (drum motif), perhaps to play. You wear kabuki themes, you are connected to that play somehow- it is your favourite, or you have an interest in theatre. You wear black war ships, and... what will people think of you? I have to wonder about this. I guess in most places in the world, no one is thinking beyond "Oh! Pretty dress!" Maybe my thought is irrational. Even so, I can't help but to think of what someone from Japan might see if I were to wear it.

I'll stick with cats and plum blossoms.

Mannered Mondays: Honne to Tatemae

2012-01-23T13:49:00.000-05:00

Honne to tatemae, the inner thoughts and outer face. Knowing the difference is crucial in Japan.

Because of the vertical society structure, certain behaviours are expected of one depending on your rank in life. This is true no matter where you are; the difference is the extent to which these ideas are carried out. 'Tatemae' described how you are appropriately expected to think, feel, and act, according to your surroundings, whether it be your job, a chance meeting with an old classmate or neighbour, or even in a car accident. In French terms, a facade. 'Honne' is what you actually think, feel, or want to do. Clearly, these things do not always match up.

While the divide may be great, it is a cultural necessity to make an attempt at exquisite manners, regardless of what is happening, to ensure a social 'smoothness' on an island with such an enormously dense population and few natural resources. Co-operation and forming tight alliances is of utmost importance in this kind of place.

However, this presents some challenges to the individual. A person must be taught early to not completely sacrifice oneself to the whims of a group (see the Abilene paradox), and to follow their ambitions- while simultaneously interacting with the group in the socially prescribed manner. Or think of it this way: a guest has come to stay with you. You find more and more that this guest is offensive, and yet, social etiquette requires you to offer hospitality. Word gets around fast, and you know that simply throwing this person out will reflect badly on you. You don't want them to stay, so instead of telling them it's impossible, you offer excessive hospitality in the hopes that they will see how much trouble it is for you to play host to them, and therefore, they will leave.

This can make it impossible to know what someone else is thinking, what their motives are. Perhaps this is made an easier task when you know more about the other person: who they are affiliated with, what they stand to gain or lose by doing any one thing, how much to trust the person, etc.

Today, there is much debate as to whether or not concepts of honne and tatemae are uniquely Japanese. The terms are tied to the concept of nihonjinron, the idea that the Japanese are a completely distinct people with ideas completely foreign and incomprehensible to outsiders, coming from hundreds of years of social isolation, the enforcement of completely foreign (and in some cases, repulsive and/or destructive) ideas from Western outsiders, followed by decades of war under an Emperor who believed that he was a god on Earth. At best, nihonjinron represents cultural pride in their truly unique contributions to society at large. At worst, it manifests as a form of outright racism towards anyone not born Japanese from Japanese parents and grandparents and so forth who were born and grew up in Japan.

On one side, honne and tatemae are perhaps not seen in such extreme degrees in other countries; perhaps then, they deserve to be classified as culturally unique concepts. However, as previously stated, we too have our actions vs. inner thoughts- the difference is the lengths that we will go to in order to express our true desires and intentions. In that case, the idea of thinking one thing and doing another is not entirely foreign, and indeed, once given a basic understanding of the framework of how Japanese society developed and functioned over hundreds of years, perhaps one could easily see why there is so much pressure on a person to outwardly conform.

Previously: Nihonjinron (Discussions of the Japanese)
Next: Higengo Komyunikeishon (Nonverbal Communication)

Happy Year of the Dragon!

2012-01-23T10:05:00.000-05:00

So, I've been here 24 years. Technically, according to the old Chinese system (which once counted the 10 months in the womb to be the first year), 25 years. I was born when rabbits become dragons. I guess I fit the bill. A love for the finer things, generally a peacemaker, but business oriented and cutthroat if someone impinges on my free will or desires.

I have the perfect new obi. A hot pink, black, and metallic gold dragon Nagoya obi. I had the hardest time figuring out what to wear with it because pink is not my usual colour. I only just remembered that I have a black summer kimono which I think is technically not mofuku, due to the thin silver threads in some sections. Even so, with the right collar and some tall boots, I think it would work. As short as it is on me, I can probably tie it so that it is knee-length, and wear the Nagoya obi in a variation of the otaiko. I'm so excited about this one!

Today marks the Year of the Dragon. Once, this was the beginning of the year in Japan (technically, depending on how the calender fell, there would be two New Years- the turning of the date on the lunar cycle, and the solar new year, Setsubun).

This day is also the first day of 'Mutsuki'. Mutsuki means 'month of affection', a meaning close to 'being in harmony' or 'being on friendly terms'. It is a day when friends go to visit each other, when family gets together, etc. Today, I think Mutsuki is now considered to be aligned with January 1st, but traditionally, this is the day. The name 'mutsuki' is still understood, but is no longer used except for in greeting cards and such. New Years' Day as it is celebrated today was introduced in 1948, although the Gregorian calender has been adopted in Japan since the late 1800s, during the Meiji era.

This month is the end beginning of bamboo changing to the plum blossoms of February. Think deep greens and white, becoming royal purples, reds, and white. For older women, perhaps more muted colours, such as pinks and dusty purples. Clothing is lined throughout the season, and tabi are generally worn. Break out your favourite seasonal kimono!

Happy New Year (again), everyone!

Seijin no Hi: Coming of Age Day

2012-01-09T17:21:00.000-05:00

Wheee! It's that time of the year again: Coming of Age Day, otherwise known as 'Seijin no Hi', where everyone who turned 20 in the past year is declared officially an adult. I talked about this last year as well, and I'm happy to see the new colours and motifs for this year! Even the guys dressed up in formalwear! It looks like pale aqua tones, black, red, shades of pink, and royal blues are 'in' now, for those who can still afford them. Financial times are hard on everyone this year, especially those who were hardest-hit by the disaster last year. It may take decades for Japan to fully recover, economically.

This year, according to Japanese news sources, it's a toned-down event in remembrance of the March 11th earthquakes of last year. Many lost friends and relatives who would have been able to join in the festivities today. Many others who usually ventured to major shrines have since been relocated to other parts of Japan. Even so, it was a day of celebration for those who are newly beginning their lives as full members of society!

Here is one blog from a woman named Mano Erina, translated into English. If you'd like to see plenty of photos of celebration events in Yokohama, I suggest you check out this page. Want a sneak preview?

Seijin no Hi, Yokohama - (c) Alfie Goodrich, 2012

Mannered Mondays: The Vertical Society and Manners

2012-01-09T15:45:00.000-05:00

Even in today's democratic Japanese society, hierarchical roles and values still exist. There are specific roles for each person, weighed according to things such as age, gender, nation of origin, job, job rank, the school one graduated from, and so on and so on. Across the entirety of Japanese history, language, motions, and other symbols such as the clothing one wore or the furniture in one's own home was structured around one's rank in life. It was difficult, if not impossible, to move up in rank; however, one could find it remarkably easy to move down. This was to preserve the social structure and to give vanity to one's superiors.

This idea may be very foreign to Western thought. We are taught to think as individuals, that all aspects are just as important as others (for example, the manager is no more important than the work of ten people under him- without those workers, there is no reason to have a manager). In America, we choose our presidents, and always have. The point of choosing our leaders was rooted in the power struggles of the masses in the countries we came from: countries who had one ruler, a dictator or monarch, and whose word was law. We wanted to avoid that, so we made a ruling that we had to choose people to represent us, who could be recalled, and who would be unable to take over the country without consent (created the very monarch we desperately wanted to get away from).

In Japan, society developed very differently. The first Japanese rulers were both leadership figures and religious figures; they played the role of both politician and priest. According to Shinto mythology, the gods Izanagi and Izanami created Japan out of the swirling waters, and fell in love with their creation so much that they descended onto the island and made a life for themselves. When Izanami died, Izanagi descended into the Underworld to bring her back. Failing to do so, Izanagi created the lesser gods from his body. Those offspring created humans. The Emperor is/was thought to be a divine ruler, descended from Amaterasu-sama herself! The Japanese people, of course, all being further descendents of the gods. According to Shinto practices, everything has a spirit, and everything should be treated with appropriate respect. In order to do so, proper ceremony must be observed at all times.

This became even more of an extreme idea (compared to our standards) during the 1100s-1800s, with the rise of the shogunate and the samurai police. They ascribed to Zen Buddhism, in itself a peaceful religion, but one which required profound self-discipline and mental fortitude to adhere to. This, paired with the rigors of training, and the ideals surrounding bushido (the way of the warrior), proper hierarchical protocol became more greatly in demand than ever before. New rules were set down to prevent any 'class mixing', or to prevent a 'lower' class from overtaking a 'higher' class. Laws detailing even the types of fabric each caste could wear, including the patterns that were allowed, became prominent. The culture as a whole became hyperaware of the social demands of etiquette. To do anything else could easily mean losing your life.

This heightened awareness of protocol became so extreme by outsider standards that to miss any part of that protocol is a grievous error by their standards. This, of course, is becoming relaxed today. Knowing how to greet a teacher vs. how to greet a close friend of ten years is still observed, but obviously, no one today will be beheaded because they used the wrong term for 'Hello' when regarding one's superiors, as was once done. Even more allowance is made for foreigners on brief trips; the assumption is that you are an inconvenience now, but you are also a guest; proper allowances must be made. However, do not rely on this attitude all the time, especially if staying more than a few days. Make effort to learn some basics. People will certainly notice!

Previously: Introduction to Mannered Mondays
Next: Nihonjinron (Discussions of the Japanese)

Jinjitsu, or Nanakusa no Sekku

2012-01-07T23:37:00.000-05:00

Kuniyoshi - "Jinjitsu", from
'Onna gori goshiki no hana kago'

Nanakusa no Sekku, "Feast of the Seven Herbs", is also known as Jinjitsu- "Human Day".

It is a Japanese holiday that once took place on the 7th day of the 1st Lunar Month, which this year would be on Jan. 30th. However, because of foreign influence on Japan, it was moved to the solar calendar date during the Meiji era, much the same way New Years' Day was moved.

Nanakusa no Sekku is one of five seasonal holidays called 'gosekku'.

It is said that during the first seven days of the first month, new important beings were created, one for each day. The first day, the Gods made the rooster, followed by the dog, the sheep, the boar, the ox (or bull), the horse, and finally, humans. To celebrate the completion of this cycle, a feast is thrown every year. On the day of the individual creations, it is taboo to kill or harm that creature. So, no roosters will be slaughtered on the first day, and likewise, no punishments are given to criminals on the seventh day. This custom comes from a Chinese holiday called 'Renri'.

On this day, Nanakusa-gayu is eaten. Just Hungry has a great recipe for this! Supposedly, eating nanakusa-gayu is medicinal in nature, and can also bring good health, protection from illnesses, and keep away evil spirits. Prayers for these things may be said on this day while eating it. The seven herbs used in the soup are usually seri, nazuna, gogyō, hakobe, hotokenza, suzuna, and suzushiro, but other combinations are used in different regions.

Kinyoubi Kimono Challenge

2012-01-06T00:02:00.000-05:00

So, it's the new thing. Everyone's doing it, right? :P Strawberry Kimono, Kira-Kira, plenty of others. It's the Kimono Challenge list! 13 questions to get you thinking about your 'kimono evolution'. So, why not? I'll try to do this once a month. ^_^ First Friday of every month, okay?

1. How did you discover and get into kimono?

This doll.

It's a vintage (probably late 1950's-1960s) Fuji Musume ningyo from Japan. Originally, it had a gorgeous black lacquered case, and probably a wooden sign signifying who made it, but the case has been dismantled and is being stored after one of the original panes of ultra-fragile glass broke during a move. The hair of the doll is extremely brittle and is clearly fraying. Even dusting it could break the horse hair strands (I believe they are horse hair; maybe they are early synthetics?) The 'kimono' fabric is synthetic and silk, I believe. She carries a long strand of paper fuji. Actually, there is a hat to go with the straps in her hair, but I have to find the pin to keep it on.

Still, I think it's beautiful.

My aunt owned it after my paternal grandfather came back from military duty in Occupied/post-war Japan and brought it over. These sorts of dolls were made for mass-consumption, in varying degrees of skill and artistry. Some are very refined and lifelike; some are like 3-D ukiyo-e paintings; some were cheaply put together and some were very expensive and ornate. Considering the state of this one, I'm not sure how much it would be worth, but as I'm not selling it I guess it doesn't matter until I go to buy renters' insurance, right?

I wanted to be pretty like that when I was older. I liked the outfit, and wanted something like that. Initially, that's why I bought a shiromuku at 13 or so. I wanted something bright to dress like the doll for Halloween or something, but at the time, few sellers were on Ebay, and Ichiroya was prohibitively expensive. Not much information on wearing kimono properly was available on the internet, and although there was plenty in books, I could never afford them. Thus, why I'm a big fan of writing about the things I gather from books!

Today, I'm a kimonoholic. I try to wear one at least once a month, but before, when it was cooler, I'd wear them almost every few days. Now, even 70F is too hot for me. I can't imagine wrapping up in silks in this Florida weather! Even so, I try to wear them when I can. Now I just have to get photos when I do...

Mannered Mondays: Introduction

2012-01-02T16:13:00.000-05:00

I'm working on making a commitment to writing a column every week called 'Mannered Mondays'. Every Monday, I post something about Japanese etiquette or psychology. Actually, not every post will necessarily be on etiquette in the sense of "this is how you hold your chopsticks", "this is where you put your shoes"; it will also be defined in the sense of social etiquette: "this is how you say 'good morning' to this person vs. that person", "this is what 'amae' means in Japanese culture".

I will also be compiling a list of resources that this information was taken from. Each post will be listed here in a series of edits as new posts are made. Many of these posts will be from books such as "Keys to the Japanese Heart + Soul", and "Etiquette - Guide to Japan" (2008 ed.; mine is 2001 ed.), which may not be easily accessible to all readers. "Keys to the Japanese Heart + Soul" was originally published in the series "Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia", and was later condensed into a bilingual book regarding only cultural phrases and sentiments later on by Kodansha Bilingual Books. Kodansha is a major publisher in Japan, especially of educational materials. Other sources include vintage books such as "Japanese Manners + Ethics in Business" (1981), "A Pocket Guide to Japanese Language + Culture" (published sometime in the 1960s, still very useful considering the upbringings of the aging population of Japan), and many others in my collection. As you can imagine, I still have many, many more books on culture in my Wish List. Because these books are luxuries to me, I feel it is important to provide any knowledge gleaned from them for free so that someone else may have the same fortuitous benefits that I do. It is only right to share what I can.

Posts on this subject will be in no particular order. Anything that seems interesting or important to me that week will likely take precedence. I cannot say that I will be 100% correct on every post, but I will do my best to provide good research on each subject. Needless to say, comments and corrections are welcome! If there is any particular subject you'd like me to cover, let me know and I'll be happy to look it up, read all about it, condense the info, and write a post on it.

Next week, the first official post: The Vertical Society

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:29:00.000-05:00

Actually, New Years' Day (Shougatsu) in Japan has only been celebrated on Jan. 1st of the Gregorian calendar since the Meiji era. Five years after the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese adapted the Western calendar, probably in order to smooth relations with outsider countries (ahem, Americans). Previous to that time, they used the Lunar calendar. This year the Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 23rd, but since people no longer celebrate it on this day in Japan, January 1st it is!

Shougatsu is the day after celebrating the corporate festival that is the Christmas holiday + post-holiday cleaning where people rush around making shrine visits and trying to get their New Years' cards and omiyage to the right places and people on time. Post offices even guarantee the arrival of these items on Jan. 1st, if you send them out in a certain time frame and label them 'nengajou'. Friends, family members, and work places or helpful people are all the usual recipients of these sorts of gifts. Most people buy the postcards pre-printed with that years' zodiac animal, a New Years' message of traditional sayings or haiku celebrating firsts of the year, or can get them printed at home or at department stores with favourite designs, but some choose to buy blank ones and write/draw them by hand for each person. It's very important to continue good social relations and pay off any remaining debts before the new year begins in order to have a fresh start!

There is an exception to the sending of New Years' Cards: when there has been a death in the family, a household member will send out a postcard called 'mochyuu hagaki' to inform friends and relatives of the death. This also signals them to not send New Years' cards, as it is considered disrespectful to the person who died.

Special foods called 'osechi' are eaten on this day, too! Mostly, the traditional foods are sour, salty, or dried. Remember that refrigerators are only a recent invention, and with all of the preparations to be made for perhaps the biggest holiday of the year, there was little time or energy left over for cooking- and no restaurant would be open that day, either! Konbu (seasoned seaweed), kamaboko (a kind of fish cake), and ozouni (zoni, a soup made with mochi and dried vegetables and fish), along with special bean dishes are eaten during this season.

Some people make shrine visits on the night of Dec. 31st (so that they can be there as the year turns) or on Jan. 1st. Most people no longer wear kimono that day, but everyone dresses their best! The first shrine visit of the year, regardless of a persons' religions or lack thereof, is a traditionally important visit called 'Hatsumoude'. Buddhist temples will ring special bells 108 times on Midnight of Dec. 31st to symbolize the 108 sins of humanity, and the 108 worldly desires of man. Ringing these bells is said to wash away sins of the previous year, and to give way to a new beginning.

This year is the year of the Dragon! I can't wait to wear my dragon obi to celebrate! <3

Christmas Shopping Spree

2011-12-29T15:11:00.001-05:00

Christmas was incredibly busy this year. I barely slept for a week! Now that all the festivities are over, and I'm cleaning up the place and recovering, I can get back to business as usual. But first, I went on a small shopping spree!

Okay, for me, it isn't small. It was almost funded by my mother and uncle. Seriously, I think I've finally found a gift card that I LIKE. Amazon cards are the way to go, guys. :P I can blow $200 on books without even blinking. And I will devour them all.

I don't like Kindles or Nooks because they are electronic- nice and all, and some stuff is cheaper on them, but 1) I don't buy the eco-friendly thing as compared to harvesting trees when I know where the metals come from and what they cost (think child slavery, rape, and strip-mining in Africa, Afghanistan, and other countries) and 2) they're ELECTRONIC. Which means if the power goes out, or the batteries run down (more metals and chemicals being produced), it won't work. A book, I can just take outside. It will be readable anywhere there is light. I can take it anywhere. TSA will never stop me for a stack of paper (I hope), but they apparently don't know how to handle laptops and Kindles. Books are far superior!

Aside from the stuff I've been meaning to get on and off (for, I don't know, ten years or so), I racked up on Japanese culture books. It's a good thing my husband reminded me, because strangely, I'd forgone those (again) in search of a bunch of YA books that I loved long ago. My youngest sister tends to read my books, even the beginners' stuff on physics, economy, and chemistry, so I tend to think of her when I buy things that are on my back-burner list. So I've put more of those on a list of "One day..." books, and picked up a list of Japanese-themed books! All descriptions are the short summaries from Amazon, since I haven't received any of them yet. Which means... book reviews impending! <3 Here's the list, but oh, there are SO MANY more that I want...

- The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan

The World of the Shining Prince, Ivan Morris's widely acclaimed portrait of the ceremonious, inbred, melancholy world of ancient Japan, has been a standard in cultural studies for nearly thirty years. Using as a frame of reference The Tale of Genji and other major literary works from Japan's Heian period, Morris recreates an era when woman set the cultural tone. Focusing on the world of the emperor's court-the world so admired by Virginia Woolf and others-he describes the politics, society, religious life, and superstitions of the times, providing detailed portrayals of the daily life of courtiers, the cult of beauty they espoused, and the intricate relations between the men and women of this milieu.

- Japanese Etiquette Today: A Guide to Business and Social Customs

Most foreigners know that Japanese etiquette differs from that of other countries, but few know in what way. In JAPANESE ETIQUETTE TODAY, the authors look at a variety of formal and informal occasions governed by subtle rules and tell you what to do, what NOT to do, what to say, what to wear, and much more.

- Women of the Pleasure Quarters: The Secret History of the Geisha

Ever since Westerners arrived in Japan, they have been intrigued by Japanese womanhood and, above all, by geisha. This fascination has spawned a wealth of extraordinary fictional creations, from Puccini’s Madame Butterfly to Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha. But as denizens of a world defined by silence and mystery, real geisha are notoriously difficult to meet and even to find. As a result, their history has long been cloaked in secrecy.

Lesley Downer, an award-winning writer, Japanese scholar, and consummate storyteller, gained more access to this world than almost any other Westerner, and spent several months living in it. In Women of the Pleasure Quarters, she weaves together intimate portraits of modern geisha with the romantic legends and colorful historical tales that shape their fascinating past. Contrary to popular opinion, geisha are not prostitutes but, literally, "arts people." Accomplished singers, dancers, and musicians, they are, above all, masters of the art of conversation, soothing the worries and stroking the egos of wealthy businessmen who can afford their attentions. Looking into such traditions as mizuage, the ritual deflowering that was once a rite of passage for all geisha, and providing colorful descriptions of their dress, training, and homes, Downer transforms their reality into a captivating narrative, and reveals an enthralling world unlike any other.

- The Nightless City: Geisha and Courtesan Life in Old Tokyo

Written over a century ago, this pioneer study was the first to venture behind the teahouse doors of the Yoshiwara quarter, Tokyo's red-light district. It remains unsurpassed as the definitive survey of geisha and courtesan life, with meticulous descriptions of traditional training, dress, social hierarchy, and erotic practices. 49 black-and-white illustrations; 2 maps.

- The Kimono of the Geisha-Diva Ichimaru

Ichimaru (1906-1997) combined her experience as a geisha with an extraordinary talent as a vocalist and musician to become a unique figure in the social history of twentieth-century Japan. Determined to distinguish herself, she studied music with the best teachers to be found in Tokyo's "floating world," or pleasure district. Ichimaru secured a recording contract in 1931 and never looked back as she won international renown.

In keeping with the geisha tradition of elegant dress, Ichimaru accumulated a striking collection of kimono over the course of her long career. After her death, the collection was given to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. In this colorful, well-informed, and satisfying little book, three members of the gallery's curatorial staff tell lchimaru's life story and place it in the context of the floating world and the larger world of Japanese culture. They also provide detailed information on kimono construction, materials, dyeing and stitching techniques, styles and the cultural connotations evoked by those styles, and the secret language of kimono imagery. Color photographs accompany their descriptions, and Ichimaru's life is illustrated with color and black-and-white images.

- Yoshiwara: Geishas, Courtesans, and the Pleasure Quarters of Old Tokyo

For centuries, Yoshiwara was the famed pleasure center of Tokyo. An erotic world unmatched by the West was created by beautiful courtesans, geishas, dancers, actors and artists. To this "floating world" came the hedonists and the sensual pleasure hunters of old Japan. A hotbed of art and creativity, it also saw the enslavement of countless women, sold or driven into the sex trade.

Yoshiwara traces the rise and fall of this city within a city, a sanctioned preserve of teahouses and brothels that was not abolished until 1958, sketching a vivid portrait of social and sexual mores in Japan's capital.

- The Book of Kimono: Complete Guide to Style and Wear

This practical and attractive book makes available for the first time the basic knowledge and vocabulary needed to select and put on a kimono and obi.

Whether for women or men, all kimono are cut and sewn essentially from a single pattern, but a number of variations must be considered, depending on the occasion. Guidelines are given to making these choices, and the way to dress in a kimono, from the preliminaries to tieing the bustle sash, is described in detail and fully illustrated. For women, there are formal kimono, obi and accessories, and the lightweight summer yukata; for men, the yukata and the ceremonial ensemble of kimono, haori coat and hakama skirt. Children's kimono for festive events are also described.

Kimono fashions have evolved over the centuries in response to varied influences. Today modern innovations are making the wearing of kimono at home and elsewhere an attractive alternative to Western garments. These are included here, along with a discussion of aesthetics, the history of the kimono, and the meaning that kimono culture can have for wearers and admirers throughout the world.

Taisho style, Heisei kimono.

2011-12-11T23:36:00.001-05:00

DH bought me some new kimono things, despite recent troubles. <3 Christmas kimono = awesome. I'm very, very happy. This one was a little hard to dress in. Actually, it fits very, very well, I think. The obi is the hardest to tie without a biyosugata. I can't quite get the sparrow wings to fold the way I want them to. I will have to practice!

I wanted to get the wide-obi, bright Taisho look... Taisho Chic has a cover featuring a modan-gyaru (Modern Girl) in a red kimono with a blue and gold obi with a cloud motif. I don't think clouds will work with anything I own, but this pattern will. I think I still tied the obi a little too widely for my body shape. Maybe I'll tie the obiage differently next time, too. Less showing, I think. I did like the handbag and dress combination overall. And next time, I'll bother with doing my hair. I actually can't do much with it because my hair is so thin and flat, but maybe I'll try something like country girl braids, or big, loose curls at the sides in a more modern take on the outfit. Everything I'm wearing I think is from Heisei-era, post 1989. Overall though, not bad for not having worn anything but yukata in a few months!

But ack. My shoulders are always so broad in these photos. How do Japanese women make it look like they are so narrow? I know Japanese women HAVE shoulders. There's no speculation to the fact (like in the early 1900's, when some people thought Americans had tails, thus why women wore bustles). How do they do it? Complete mystery... one day, I'll discover the ancient Japanese secret of shoulder-hiding. :P Wish me luck!

Eeek! Gomennasai!

2011-12-05T23:58:00.001-05:00

Ack! I'm so sorry!

I thought I had updated a week ago, but it turned out that I'd saved the post as a draft instead!

What I had intended to say at the time was that I am taking a slight hiatus to finish reading some books on Japanese culture, with intent to review and share some pertinent information with everyone!

My New Years' Resolution has already been decided: to start scheduling informative posts, as I had tried to keep up with previously. If I feel I can't sit down and write it that day, I can write it ahead of time and post it on the appropriate day. Since my goal is to learn new things as I write, it'll be an adventure of education for me as well! I think that is what keeps me so interested. I want to learn everything. Awesomely, I have a super-cool younger sister who is just as interested, without the typical pre-teen "OMG EVERY ANIME CHARACTER IS SOOOO HOT!" thing going on. She really just wants to learn about etiquette, see anime museums and learn how stuff is made, and geek out about Roppongi and geisha. I figure we'll get to more 'adult' matters later. Like when my mom won't kill me for it. >D Besides, lots of cool intelligent-kid-friendly stuff to learn!

So, here's what's on the schedule:

- Reviews of some books I've acquired recently
- Posts on national holidays
- Adherence to the 'traditional' calendar where possible, except for holidays adopted after Western calendars became widely used
- Etiquette posts every week
- Psychology-related cultural posts every 1-2 weeks
- Monthly motifs, colours, and other fun seasonal stuff

I will try harder this year to improve my habits regarding posts. Also, I've seen a cool kimono challenge going around on other kimono blogs (something I want to add a section for on my blog! Redesign coming up... ^_~) Also, I have already begun building a new website for my kimono and other items for sale! It isn't quite* what I want yet, but I'm working on it!

Ganbarimasu!

Artfire Announcement

2011-11-17T15:40:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone!

I had so many items listed on Artfire- cool things, like the Satsuma and Kutani dishes, piles of silks and fabric remnants, so much awesome stuff... but the sales are lacking too sorely to pay the monthly fees, something like $12/month. That means if I sell one kimono, the entirety of the payment goes towards fees and maybe three or four months of simply hosting the items! One of the reasons I joined Artfire was their explicit promise that they would never charge Basic seller accounts monthly fees or listing fees; instead, we would pay a percentage of the final sale value of each item when it sold. This has obviously changed.

I will be hosting on Zibbet as soon as I work out the kinks in listings. I also hope to have a website built soon as a permanent home to shop through, similar to the one I built for Perthro's Pagan Supplies. The cart system is not as streamlined as I'd hope it to be, but I can accept Paypal through that site and adjust shipping rates before refunding accordingly.

Of course, the Bebe Taian website is still being planned out. I want to make it more than just a sales site. I want to fill it with useful information, fashion examples, all kinds of stuff! And of course, I'll link it back to here... or perhaps import my blog to there as well. ^_^ I'm still deciding. It's on my list of things to do with the New Year! Please be patient. I'll be back up and running soon!

Private Collection: Asa no Ha Komon

2011-11-11T16:50:00.001-05:00

Fittingly, this asa no ha (stylized hemp leaf pattern) hitoe komon is made from hemp. It's ultra-durable, and about as soft as thickly-woven cotton, if not smoother. It's *wonderful* fabric! In fact, I may attempt to collect many more made of hemp for precisely this reason. It's like the best cross between denim and linen that could possibly exist. It's awesome. <3

Actually, this would be something I'd wear today. Even though it is now awase season, and the weather is certainly much cooler today (down to 50F at night! YAY!), it's thick enough to where the layers underneath keep me plenty warm. You can't see through it, so maybe no one will notice the lack of lining.

It might be one of the last few days this year that I can wear something like this. The rest of the year, maybe it's all silks or synthetics.

My only issue now is getting a workable obi. I had one that I wore with it previously, but I really didn't care for the combination. I don't have anything that really fits this right now. Perhaps I should look into a hakata obi- but in what colours? Red and white, maybe?

SOLD: Pink Wool Hitoe Komon

2011-11-08T19:19:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: Sold on 2/12/12

Yellow walls are not kind to photographs. Especially not photos of kimono. Although, this one came out better than most others...

Up for sale is a pink/black woven wool kimono. It is unlined (hitoe), except for plain white cotton lining on the collar and the upper body. It is a very sturdy fabric. Even though wool is rough and stiff, because kimono are worn over juban, little if any of the fabric should directly touch your skin!

Komon like these are the informal jeans and t-shirt of traditional Japan. A simple kimono like this can be dressed down with a super-casual hanhaba obi, or dressed up with a pretty Nagoya obi! With the right accessories, the same kimono can look radically different from one day to the next.

This one came from my private collection, but I've since decided that I favoured asa fabric (hemp fabric) over wool. And in Florida, I don't need anything to make me warmer than I am! Even though it is unlined, wool can be oppressive. I prefer thin, gauzy silks if I'm going to wear hitoe! But it would be perfect for someone who lives further north- all the warmth without the weight, great for those days that can't make up their minds as to whether they're going to be hot or cold. Wear it with a padded juban, or with another layer of kimono on colder days. The fibers are actually pink and black woven together, so you get horizontal thin streaks of black all throughout the piece. Play it up with a black and metallic obi!

Age is most likely Heisei, although without patterns or distinctions, it may be as old as Showa.

This Week in BebeTaian News

2011-11-08T01:13:00.001-05:00

So, instead of posting on Halloween, I ended up working as much as humanly possible on housework, Perthro's Pagan Supplies, and Bebe Taian's upcoming Japanese Culture Festival! The entire week was about folding, sorting, checking, repairing, sewing, and working out fine details about the booth and logistics, on top of working two out of three nights that I was scheduled at Ichibans'. There are some photos to post, though! I just have to unpack the camera and edit them. By Saturday night, I felt like I still had things to do, but I'd done enough to fill my section of the booth and then some.

Sunday the 6th was the Orlando Japanese Festival. It was a loooong ride! But fortunately, a friend was driving me there and back, being far more familiar with the area than I am! There was great food (sushi!), join-in dance sessions to 50s Japanese songs, and lots of vendors.

My booth was shared with a few other people with all kinds of stuff: obento and ohachi sets, Hello Kitty merchandise, CDs, books, magazines, and lots of shirts and wristbands for charity! I mostly sold very cheap accessories, $5 or less. Plenty of kimono items up for grabs, but it's a tough year. I made just under the booth fee, so actually, the day was a loss, but it was still very enjoyable. I got to show someone how to tie a yukata, and met a very cool couple who had an interest in kimono and Japanese antiques just as I do! G and E were kimono/20s-30s porcelain collectors. SO AWESOME. E has a very different kimono style than I do, but it works so well with her colouring! I'm more of a subdued, "old lady" person, more likely to be decked out in dark blues and greys. >D She's so bright and vibrant! Her buttery yellow kimono and bright purple obi worked really well together! And their daughter was awfully cute. I think maybe she was shy because there were so many people around.

Another vendor was so kind, they translated the name of some of my dishes! The ronin set is a Kutani work from the mid-80s or so, and to have a full set, each signed, is fairly rare. Kutani is a very famous, very expensive brand! The other name, Matsumise, means "pine peak", and is likely the artists' name or the house he works for. For this reason, I have raised the price on the porcelain set. Even so, it is well worth the cost.

Afterwards, it was packing up (with the help of some of the other booth members- thanks, guys! You really saved my back! <3 <3 <3) and heading out around 5PM as the festival was winding down. And then... more FOOD! OMG. I can eat quite a bit when left to my own devices. I tend to forget to eat, but when I do... dinner was SO American. >D Give me a cheeseburger with ketchup, mustard, and onions any day of the week. And then, the rest of the long drive home.

Today and tomorrow, unpacking. And today, I paid for a rather large shipment of items from Osaka, far away from any nuclear fallout that I've heard of being reported so far, so please don't worry about radiation. They gave me what I think is a very fair price on shipping. I checked by weighing similar items and ran the weight past Japan Post (the official website of Japan's post office) to calculate shipping costs. My estimate and their price were within a few dollars of each other, with my estimate being slightly more expensive. I will report again when I see my items, which can take up to 2-3 months to arrive. 6-8 weeks is standard, but sometimes SAL shows up here as much as 3 months after initial shipping date!

I can't wait to show everyone what is coming, and to list what is already here. I'm working out details locally to have a better photo location, as my apartment is very dark indoors, even with the lights on.

As well...

I'd like to give a public shout-out to fuel tanker TRL30 on I-4 towards Tampa. You wove in and out of lanes, rode up on people's bumpers, and otherwise engaged in highly risky driving behaviour. You were going about 10mph over the speed limit, judging by how fast you outstripped us, and I will be looking up your companys' phone number, as I didn't see it on your truck. It's bad enough that some people have no driving skills and yet choose to use major highways going speeds in excess of 60mph. You were driving a FUEL TANKER. You know, the kind that EXPLODES, sending burning wreckage and shrapnel everywhere. You have no business being on the highway if you're going to be doing this. I understand that you have a schedule to keep, and that companies are increasingly demanding of tighter and tighter shipping times which can sometimes be impossible (literally, impossible) to make, but don't risk people's LIVES over a whopping half hour off of your trip! /end rant

About Cultural Appropriation

2011-10-25T19:09:00.003-04:00

With Halloween coming up, I think it's time to talk about cultural appropriation. Especially in relation to costumes you'll be seeing/wearing. It's really important to not be (accidentally, most often) racist. Yes, yes, I know that the point of a costume is all in fun, and no one takes it seriously, and blahblahblahblahblah... but some people do. Your idea of 'fun' does not supersede someone else's right to cultural integrity, ok?

Let me tell a story:

Years ago, I had a thing for textiles. I still do, in fact. Especially Asian textiles, with their bright colours and extensive, often elaborate patterns so unlike those of my Irish/Polish/etc. background. Living in poverty for most of my life, something like fine silk was completely foreign to me, and it was wonderful to not have something so rough and itchy on my skin. I began to collect kimono, and eventually, sari.

I loved sari, with all of their brilliant (often hand-woven or dyed) designs, sparkling embroidery. I bought three of them to wear, completely in love with the idea that for once, I could wear ADULT clothing and that I could adjust it to my size- whatever it happened to be, since my metabolism is wrecked. I researched five or six different ways to tie them, including some that I found were dance-specific, despite their beauty. I ended up choosing a style that was common to a Southern region of India, one that was worn every day by no special group in particular. Since it was so comfortable, I wore it out to a few places. My decorative shoulder pin broke halfway through the day (ugh. Don't buy cheap pins!) but otherwise, I think I did it right. What I didn't think about was cultural context.

I've spent about ten years or so studying various world cultures, some more in-depth than others. Hindu pantheons were never my specialty, so I have only a cursory knowledge. A lovely woman approached me in a store and began telling me about how I reminded her of her deceased mother. She was overjoyed to see someone wearing a sari. I would have loved to get to know her, but really, I had no cultural relation. Did I practice Hindu? Was I a follower of Vishnu or Ganesha? Neither. In some way, I felt I had let her down- and with my outfit as signifier, I could not wear it again until I had properly researched the various cultures in India, and had learned more about Buddhism and Hindu. Unwittingly, I had taken part in cultural appropriation- not because the sari is a costume of a specific religion, but because it signified that I was part of a culture that I had no place in. If I had a background in either religion, or if a parent had brought me up with a sense of native culture, then it would have been appropriate to wear a sari in public.

As you can see, cultural appropriation usually has nothing to do with ill will or malice. It often has to do with a lack of understanding and forethought. Strangely, the sari disappeared shortly after I moved in with my husband. I remember packing it, and taking it out once I had moved in already, but I've never seen it again. Clearly, it was not meant to be mine. When and if I get another, I will make sure that it is handmade, and it will likely be used as a display piece somehow.

Geisha henshin: If you look like this, good!

If you are still reading this, you might be considering dressing up as something relating to Japanese culture. But some warnings:

For example, the whole Asian-girl-geisha costume thing? Unless you are actually out buying real kimono and obi and making a go of authentic henshin, those are pretty racist.

Why?

Because the costume fetishizes Asian women, carrying the message that she's not a person, it's an object, and makes no cultural distinctions between any country or people. The slutty Chinese brocade-corseted mime-makeup-ed costume does nothing to improve the image of Asian women as prostitutes and whores for white men, and mocks them all as being an indistinct, lesser "brown race of short people with bad teeth". I have to battle with this image any time I go out in a kimono, and I have the benefit of being white. I can't even imagine what it must be like for an actual Japanese girl to come over here and find herself with every creepy guy fawning over her just because she's "exotic" (read: not a human being; a rare, commodified object) in their eyes. And dressing up as a geisha with her army boyfriend? Let's not even go there. There's a whole history of white imperialism and repression going on, and if you don't know America's history of "involvement" in Japan, you might want to read up on it.

Don't be the "geesha girl" here. Not cool.

Are you dressing up as a samurai? Do you have any background in Japanese martial arts or bushido? Please be sure to represent them with a sense of reality. As far as I know, samurai were never a repressed group (in fact, samurai were often wealthy), but thanks to their romanticized image in American society, it can be seen as cultural appropriation when not done correctly. "Go Rin no Sho" (The Book of Five Rings) is probably a go-to book for this kind of cosplay/costume; it's a famous work by Miyamoto Musashi on the subject of bushido.

Things like cosplay costumes should be alright, I think, since most characters are easily recognizable from the anime they come from, but remember that anime =/= real life. For the most part, the Japanese live in a homogenous society. They often do not have a real sense of hundreds of years of slavery of other races, or understand that what they see on imported TV shows are often exaggerated, racist characters instead of who people actually are. Last time I was there, the whole rap/"being black" thing was HUGE- even in Sony music store, the section for rap, hip-hop, and R+B was called "Black Music". There was no sense of why each of those types of expression were individual, distinct, or why the early years of each were so groundbreaking. It was just "cool black music" because being black and imitating music videos was "in". For that reason, occasionally you come across a show where they will have characters portrayed in an exaggerated, sometimes racist, way. That character is probably not someone you want to cosplay as, no matter what time of year it is.

There are plenty of costumes out there that are NOT racist or culturally appropriative. Going as Kuchisake-onna, a geisha, whatever is fine. But if you're going to do it, do it right: accurately represent what you're dressing up as. A culture is not a costume. You can't "be Japanese" for a costume, but if you know your Shinto background and rituals, going as a miko might not be offensive. You can't be "Native American" for Halloween (there isn't just one Native American/First Nations culture to begin with), but accurately portraying a Seminole woman might not be offensive if you go through the trouble of research, clearing it with someone representing the tribe, and use fabrics and props made by someone in that tribe. Wandering around in face paint and a headdress and calling yourself a squaw is NOT okay. And if someone tells you that your costume is offensive, don't argue, don't make them explain themselves, don't spout off about your expertise, etc. Just apologize, and take it off when you can.

There is a much more concise and better-written series of questions to ask yourself before dressing up here. The important thing to realize after this is that (especially white) people have privileges not afforded to others all over the world, and that some disadvantages (ie, poverty, being female, etc.) are not a "balancing equation" to even it all out. It is our responsibility as a privileged society to use that privilege in such a way that benefits others instead of dehumanizing and diminishing them. Even something so simple as a Halloween costume has a profound effect; it is a reflection of greater attitudes at work. Do you want the reflection of your attitude to say that a geisha is nothing but a cheap, sleazy whore? That all First Nations cultures are the same? That Indian people (from India) are all mystical yoginis promoting divine wisdom in spite of poverty and disease (ie, romanticizing and diminishing the very real problems many Indians face every day)?

Think about what you want to show. This is the one day of the year you get to really bring out that side of yourself!

Mint green awase kimono

2011-10-22T00:26:00.001-04:00

I finally wore my mint green kimono today! It's so gorgeous, but unfortunately, it was one of those purchases that turned out with more damages than described. Even so, it's incredibly* soft and comfortable to wear in the house with our sudden burst of chilly weather. It's wonderful! I'm sick of going outside and dissolving into sweat. x.x And now I can go outside without doing that- while in kimono!

Actually, it's less yellow-green than in this photo. The real colour is more like mint chocolate chip ice cream, with slight hints of bright orange lining at the sleeves and the hem. Inside, the lining is white, dip-dyed orange at the edges. The pattern is waves, pale blue seigaiha, chrysanthemums, and camellias.

Since I'm just wearing it in the house right now, I didn't bother with an obi or a proper juban. Too much to refold and pack up tonight. However, I do rather enjoy the pastel orange and white juban I have with a white haneri featuring a woven chrysanthemum and ichimatsu pattern, and the silver metallic fukuro obi with waves and ichimatsu. It's a solid colour obi, entirely silver, so it's very versatile! I picked it up in Japan when I was visiting Hokkaido during a summer festival. I only wish I'd brought more money on that day!

This is one of many private collection kimono that I've considered selling. As incredibly soft as it is, I don't think it does as much for my skin tone as I thought it would, mostly because it's less yellow-toned than I had anticipated. Because of the staining, it might be most useful as fabric, although it could perhaps be worn to occasions where you'd expect to get something on it. I do love the longer-than-usual sleeves, though! And the upper part isn't so bad; maybe it would be nice with a bright hakama.

On a side note, today was apparently supposed to be the Rapture Day, according to some crazy Christian sect. For those of you not following Fundie Christian culture, it's some really bad gematria-inspired interpretation of the *English* Bible with a handful of lines taken largely out of context by a guy who's run a radio station for forever and a day. Followers preach a message of general hatred and elitism before warning True Believers (TM) that they'll be saved on this day... by way of flying up to the heavens to be with God while demons run loose on earth to prey on those left behind. I have to say, it's a really nice day for some demons to come up. They might get to enjoy the relative air conditioning for once. Although, if they're used to brimstone and undying flames, they might want to bring sweaters. 68F must be like Arctic wind to them, poor things. Maybe they'll stop by and buy some haori from me? Silks are awfully warm and soft...

Kuchisake-onna

2011-10-17T14:54:00.000-04:00

Midway through October, and it's still barely Fall. We had a day or two of cooler pleasantness, but all in all, it's still fairly hot outside. Perhaps now* is still time for ro fabric here- if not yukata season all year 'round. In any event, it is surely awase season in Japan again!

I may wear one of my remaining hitoe wool kimono soon. I've been making time to wear yukata about once every two weeks. My current issue is largely storage-related, since we are downsizing so much! I've also had to clear out a large corner for the new cat tree, which is helping the kids get along much better now that they all have a comfy space of their own to nap on without being disturbed. Whoever designed it really knew cats- even the "flatter" spaces are curved, so that they can rest their heads more comfortably. Two of the cats are fairly large, so you can perhaps imaging the discomfort at laying down. In any case, it's very space-consuming, and I need to look at new options!

Halloween is still approaching. What should I do? If kimono is my regular outfit, and it isn't particularly theatrical or scary, perhaps I need a new approach- an obake, maybe? Perhaps Kuchisake-onna!

Probably, you've seen a more recent horror movie called 'Carved', or 'Kuchisake-onna', the Slit-mouthed woman. It is an updated version of a very old story, today often set in places like Tokyo, a city so big that anyone could be anyone!

The story starts the way they usually do: with a beautiful woman. This particular beautiful woman was very obsessed with her beauty, taking great pride in her lovely face. She is married off to a wealthy samurai, who begins to believe that she is being unfaithful to him (despite the numerous affairs most samurai were given free leave to have...); he becomes so enraged at this idea that he cuts her mouth from ear to ear, saying "Who will think you're beautiful now?" Later, she died and became a vengeful spirit.

Today, she walks the earth covering her face, entrancing people. She will ask you, "Do you think I'm beautiful?" If you answer yes, she'll uncover her face and ask, "Do you still think I'm beautiful?" If you say 'no', she'll stab you to death. If you say 'yes', she'll carve your face up like hers was. Supposedly, the only way to have a chance is to say "You are so-so" or 'average', and it will confuse her for a few seconds so that maybe you can escape! (Other variations: say you have a previous engagement, and she might excuse her bad manners; or give her sweets or a gift, and she might be distracted long enough to run away!)

Of course, the modern legend is a little different. In the late 70s for some reason, mysterious sightings of Kuchisake-onna were reported. Today's Kuchisake-onna is a beautiful woman wearing a surgical mask, which is a common sighting in Japan- especially during cold + flu season! Supposedly, even school children were sent home in groups because of it. Perhaps someone thought that a person imitating the old legend was running around, hurting people. In the new urban legend, the woman is perhaps an escaped mental patient who cut herself, a woman in a bad car accident, or someone who was a victim of plastic surgery. In any event, she looks like everyone else, and carries a large pair of scissors sharp enough to kill anyone who responds to her the wrong way.

Scary, isn't it?

Hyaku-monogatari: Yuki-onna

2011-10-11T22:14:00.001-04:00

Thanks to running three part-time businesses and working one on-payroll job, I've had little time for... well, anything. For once, I'm a little happy we're having financial troubles; the same thing that is causing me to work so much is allowing him to finally do things he's been needing to do, but never could due to his own former workload. I'm so happy for him!

But now that it's October, and we've FINALLY had our second day of semi-Fall-like weather here in FL, I've been all too ready for pumpkin spice cookies, phasing out cotton and hitoe kimono, and most of all, GHOST STORIES!!! Yes, I'm a big horror/fantasy lover. And that means... Hyaku-monogatari kaidankai! The Gathering of 100 Ghost Stories!

Actually, this is an old game played in Japan. No one is really sure when or how it started, but the game goes like this:

Just as night falls, light 100 candles in a room with a gathering of friends. Usually, the candles are in a circle around you. Take turns telling each other ghost stories; there are, of course, more than 100 ghost stories in Japan, but certain stories were very, very popular. As you finish telling each story, extinguish one candle. At the end of the 100 stories, when the last candle goes out, supposedly a ghost of some kind will appear!

Perhaps the most famous of the Kaidan in Western knowledge comes from modern stories like Ringu (The Ring), Ju-On (The Grudge), or older stories from Lafcadio Hearns' KWAIDAN.

This story is of Yuki-onna,"Snow Woman", one of the most famous supernatural stories today. "Shirahime-syo" by CLAMP is a take on Yuki-Onna. But no matter what happens, the Snow Woman stories are often along the same lines:

Two woodcutters became caught in a snowstorm. Incredibly cold, and looking for shelter, they found only a small abandoned shack. Most of the wood was too damp to burn properly, and only a very small fire could be made. Together, they spent the night there. As the fire died out, they began to freeze... when a beautiful, silent woman as pale as snow comes into the shack. She wears white clothing from head to toe, her pale lips and long black hair the only features standing out. As she bends down to touch the older man, his skin loses colour and becomes bluish, frost forming on his fingertips as she breathes over him. The younger man wakes up to see this and is frozen with terror. Yuki-onna turns to look the younger man over. She decides to let him
go, but only on one condition: he can never tell anyone what he saw that night.

When he arrives back home, he tells no one. He is too afraid of what might happen! He continues about his work well into Spring, when he meets a young woman traveling through the woods. She says that she has no family, and is a wanderer. This sort of thing often happened when a family could not support a single female; she was sent into the world to find her own work. She was very pretty, and very pale, either with hunger or because she had possibly come from a formerly well-to-do family (never having had to work outdoors before). In no time at all, she proved her usefulness and great skill in weaving and sewing. Eventually, she became the young mans' wife. They lived together for years, had children together, and were very happy with their simple life.

But little things about Yuki were strange to her husband. She seemed so familiar, as if they'd met before, and he just couldn't place it. The way she moved, or her faint smile... finally it came to him. THIS was Yuki-onna! The same woman who had spared his life years earlier. Certain that it was her in disguise, he decided to tell her his story from so long ago. She listened patiently, and believed every word- but, she was angry. He had broken his promise never to repeat his story to anyone! She had to make sure he was good on his word somehow. But she did not kill him; rather, she left him to raise their children, and returned to her duties as the Snow Woman.

SOLD: White Silk Obiage!

2011-10-03T00:21:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday, I was lucky to have made a sale, despite not being able to attend the Clearwater Japanese Festival. <3 Very lucky, indeed! Tonight, I've arrived home after a long day of work, and I am inspecting it again before shipping it in the morning. I hope it has found a great home!

Obiage are so delicate and versatile. More often than not, in winter, you can find me wearing a 'flat' obiage or an ironed-out shibori obiage as a scarf. Sometimes you'll see one peeking out from underneath a headscarf. I tend to wear them in winter, since personally, I love the cold... but my jaw injuries do not. Obiage help keep me warm and look great, even when I'm not wearing kimono.

Some kimono fashionistas sew smoother ones to eri to decorate their collars! In Taisho era (and perhaps before that), collars were just as bold and patterned as the rest of their clothing! And wearing more than one obiage at a time, tied into an interesting way, can be one way to add visual interest to your kimono outfit.

Really, there are so many possibilities! It is why I am always excited when someone tries out an obiage. So, sayonara, obiage!

Also, two days ago, I received a pile of "new" maiko and geiko postcards! I already have them archived, but I'll take them out again soon and post some photos. Would anyone like to help me place the dates or identify who is in them?

More Old Photos

2011-09-21T23:59:00.001-04:00

A series of old photos from postcards. Some are very well-preserved; others are in terrible condition. I hope that one day I can archive and perhaps digitally restore some of them.

On the right, a tayuu (highest rank of courtesan) is flanked by six kamuro, who are servants and apprentices to tayuu. You can only see a few in this photo. I bought the postcard over the weekend and haven't yet received it for better photographing. The tayuu/oiran ranks were nearly extinct by the early 1900's, so this is a somewhat rare find!

Another woman in the yuujo ranks, but I am not sure of the exact rank.

Whatever Westerners may think of these women, the facts are that for some, especially lowest-class women, there may not have been a better chance at life. Whether or not death is better than the lives they had is somewhat of a debate; I imagine that it is the sort of thing that only the person themselves can decide. In the end, a higher-end yuujo could become educated and cared for, whereas most women had not a prayer for such things.

This girl is a Kyoto maiko in late Winter/early Spring. Her long, trailing darari-obi shows patterns of bamboo, as do the swining sleeves of her furisode-hikizuri. Back then, bira kanzashi were made of brass instead of aluminium or silver. It appears that she has bamboo-motif kanzashi in her hair as well. This is likely January, then, not quite yet time for plum blossoms.

This postcard supposedly comes from the 1960s, but it may be from earlier than that. Personally, I have no expertise in dating such things, and there is little to no information on the backs of most of these postcards.

Maiko have always been popular subjects for Japanese postcards, so fortunately, they are plentiful! They are the pretty faces of Japan, and have pretty much always been great for tourism. They are sometimes also looked at as celebrities, so having postcards of your favourite geiko or maiko is very special, indeed!

Another mystery maiko from the same set as the others. This one is from later in the year, perhaps.

The obi seems to be an arabesque pattern. Is the kimono motif fans and pine needles? I cannot tell. The one indicator might be her hana kanzashi: a peony, perhaps? In that case, it may be from March of that year.

She has such a pretty smile! I love that lipstick. <3 Benihana might have looked strange with the outfit- or perhaps, it would have been perfect? Benihana hasn't been used in the longest time due to its' sheer expense, but oh, the marvelous effect it has!

Does anyone know where this was taken, or what the captions along the bottom of the cards say? Or, does anyone know who this was/is?

This maiko is a senior maiko. Notice the smaller hana kanzashi and the fully-painted lips. Brass bira kanzashi adorn the other side.

The kimono shows tachibana, the obi shows red kumihimo, and the collar shows a host of motifs including wheels. Probably, this is from late autumn. Tachibana have always been a favourite motif; to see a kimono so bold and covered in them is lovely. I love the mustard yellow obi! <3 It's a colour I've never been able to carry off well, but this girl does it beautifully.

I wonder if she ever made it to full geiko status? How long did she work for? Did the photo really come from the 1960s, and if so, did Iwasaki Mineko (of "Memoirs of a Geisha"/"Geisha, A Life" fame) know her or know of her? We can barely see the obi in the photo- does it give anyone a clue as to what house she belonged to? No matter what, it is a beautiful photo of such a happy-looking person!

The last photo is from the 1960s as well. In it, we see a bride followed by who is presumably her mother, and possibly her father and shrine priests.

She walks through an aisle of what looks like a traditional Shinto shrine adorned in full bridal clothing. It is unlikely that her real hair was set into this style, given the era the photo was taken in. Likely, it was a wig styled specifically for that occasion.

A special garment called 'tsuno kakushi' is worn over the elaborate hairstyle and kanzashi. A furisode juban in red or white would be worn underneath the kimono, in this case, it appears to be a kakeshita in black, pink, and green. Maru obi are usually worn for the occasion, along with a kakae-obi (the yellow one), obi-age (red one), maruguke (special obi-jime, in white), and a hakoseko set- a hairpin or small knife tucked into the front with a tissue holder, and a gold or silver fan.

The dress of a Shinto bride is elaborate and involves some changing throughout the ceremonies. Another outfit will be pure white today, or white and red, usually with an uchikake (a very elaborate, heavily embroidered kimono usually covered in auspicious motifs such as cranes, tortoiseshell, and pine needles) which may be very brightly coloured over top of it. Today, many women are abandoning these formalities, opting instead for huge weddings and spending less on the dress, usually a Christian/Western-style white gown instead of any sort of kimono. Thus, the incredibly low prices of secondhand wedding kimono today.

As you can see, I have a thing for photos of people, especially women. Perhaps they are more popular subjects today. I think it's an interesting juxtaposition, since at the time, the lives of women were trivialized and shuttered. Exposing the ghosts of the past is part of the fun and mystery behind these postcards. Since some were taken in the 60s, I wonder how many of these people are alive today? Were they happy? Successful? Did the maiko become geisha, or go off to get married? What happened to them?

Revisiting Old Photographs

2011-09-20T18:57:00.000-04:00

I'm revisiting old photographs. Ones I'd forgotten, some I don't care for. I've never been very photogenic... This one was taken by my mother in law last year (I think) at our birthday lunch. I wore the purple Taisho and juban kimono that my husband bought me for Christmas. There are a few variations on this outfit, including a red plum blossom obi combo. The issue with getting my collars to stay is ongoing, although I've found that korin belts do wonders!

And others, others are some from private collections. It reminds me of how much I need a scanner! I have a collection of postcards from my paternal grandfather, who brought sets of them back from Japan during his stay in Okinawa (a military guy, of course). Some are ones I've purchased more recently, within the past two years.

Despite my financial setbacks recently, I've decided to stop buying sushi here and there while working (I get it at a discount, since I work there), and put in for a few postcards to add to the collection. I am also going to ramp up my efforts to make more sales, although, that mostly has to do with paying the bills. I've spent most of my waking hours working recently; I think a little retail therapy is in order.

Tomesode Sneak Peek

2011-09-20T14:11:00.000-04:00

A quick sneak peek at the details on a tomesode I am selling!

I loved this piece so much, especially with a gold fukuro obi with red details. <3 A maru obi would have been lovely to wear with it, but alas, I lack one that fits it well! I paired it with the white obiage and obijime listed on ArtFire.

I wavered on selling this one. For a tomesode, it was so bright! Most tomesode, by definition, are subdued in muted and dull colours. To find one so brilliantly adorned in reds and bright greens- it was stunning! The crane motif is especially luxurious. I can't help but to wonder if this was worn by the mother of a bride, or perhaps, by a bride herself at a reception party. Maybe it was her first kurotomesode? Maybe...

Really, the photo doesn't do it justice. It leaves out the black and orange bamboo motif, the peach momiji, and the constellation of gold dust scattered across the wings of the cranes.You can't feel the raised texture of the ever-refined kinran (gold threads) couched to outline highlighted details. You can't feel the texture of the silks as they slip through your hands. I'll grant that some of the gold dust has worn away in bits and pieces here and there, and there is a smudge or two, but it's unlikely to be noticed without a thorough inspection... and who would, when the piece in it's entirety is dazzling?

Kimono measurements:

From hem to shoulder, along the back seam - 63"/157.5CM
Wrist to wrist - 53"/132.5CM
Sleeve length - 19.25"/49CM
Width of bottom hem - 22.5"/56CM
Crest is kiri, paulownia.

By the fine yellowed appearance of some of the silk, I can tell that it is not a new piece, likely from Showa era. I cannot be certain. With newer "standardized" kimono, it can be so hard to tell. However, it was well-stored. The yellowing so far seems to be slight and even, not blotchy like kimono which were exposed to moisture. The colour pairs in the bamboo (purple and yellow) remind me somewhat of the Taisho-era colourings once so popular, imitated in the late 60s and 70s but yet not quite from that time frame. The leafing appeared to be hand-drawn, and by the tiny white stitches at the hem, it was also hand-sewn. The person who made this kimono had skill; clearly, it was a lavishly expensive outfit. I doubt there is another quite like it.

Still, tomesode are quite common. Because they are the most formal of outfits, there is somewhat of a limited wearability to kurotomesode. Perhaps they would be for someone attending a formal black tie affair, an opera or Broadway show, to a wedding of a close friend or family member (if you are already married; otherwise, irotomesode or ofurisode would be worn), or something similar. Some people choose to display these gorgeous kimono for a bold and decadent Asian motif to their rooms! It is as easy as hanging a curtain rod on the wall, or getting a special kimono hanger.

Can you see yourself in it?

Two Down, One To Go!

2011-09-15T20:51:00.000-04:00

Two down, one to go! Two of the vintage men's kaku obi sold yesterday. That lovely gold one, and the bright red one as well. That leaves the subtle and sophisticated blue obi.

The san-san-kudo set from before has also been sold recently. It was a beautiful set. The white uchikake is still available, though! It would be excellent for Halloween. Honestly, I'd thought of getting a black obi and white wedding accessories and doing the Heron Woman from 'Sagi Musume'...

It almost makes me wonder if I shouldn't quit Artfire, despite the money it will cost me every month to sell there. I've made three sales so far since April. Which, I admit is far better than I did on Etsy. Maybe I'll stay on for one more month? I've been so busy running two other operations that I haven't had time to make a new website for BebeTaian!

As a side note, I think it is the play 'Sagi Musume' which inspired the decidedly non-geishalike dance in 'Memoirs of a Geisha/Sayuri'. Don't you think so?

Private Collection: Taisho Tachibana Kimono

2011-09-05T20:58:00.000-04:00

I have a side job at Ichiban Restaurant now. I have never worked in a restaurant before, and my health is not the best, so it is perhaps harder work for me to get used to. Even so, I want to work hard, and learn how to do things better so that my coworkers will have less burden. They are looking out for me, but really, I need to learn how to look out for myself and be the best so that I can help them.

We do not wear kimono anymore. It is too hot lately to work in them. Much cooler and faster to work in shirts and pants.

I haven't worn kimono since around Natsu Matsuri. Recently, I wore my purple yukata with a red obi, and my blue asanoha kimono with a gold obi. Maybe I am a little paranoid. I worry that if my heart has another problem, maybe the paramedics won't be able to easily get me out of kimono- or worse, they would cut the kimono to get it off! I would cry if I lost a Taisho piece to THAT. Clearly, I've recovered from past incidents of heart issues. I'm tougher than I let on! My kimono will not recover.

This is one of my Taisho pieces that I love. Three seasons of beauty! I love the tachibana detail, hidden when worn. I have two or three obi to wear with this, including a mint green momiji fukuro, a bold red ume fukuro, and a silver wave fukuro obi that matches the hemline. I'm not sure which one I like wearing with this kimono best, but it means that I have something for three seasons to specify which season it's being worn in! It is the same red ume fukuro obi that I wear in my photo of the purple Taisho kimono, so I feel comfortable wearing this obi with more than one outfit. For me, this is great- I have obi with no kimono to wear them with yet!

I seem to have an issue with overheating lately, even in cool air-conditioned places. Ice showers are keeping things in check for now, but it means wearing kimono less. I may end up getting a few more yukata to wear around the house, or simply taking the yukata I already have for sale and seeing what fits. ^_^

So, no kimono for right now. When I'm back to full capabilities, I hope to continue updating this blog with monthly info on motifs, new collection photos, folklore, and lots of great stuff!

For Sale: NigatsuBebe Jewellery + Accessories, Pt. 2!

2011-08-28T02:43:00.002-04:00

Just to recap from the last post:

I'm having a blog sale! I have SO MUCH STUFF to close out from my former ArtFire and Etsy accounts that don't belong on BebeTaians' sites. If you're interested in any of these items, message me and let me know which items you want, and I can invoice you through Paypal. Max. shipping on most items is $6, Priority Mail. This means I will fit all I can comfortably wrap in a Priority Mail box that reaches anywhere in the US within three business days. I can ship regular mail too; it's cheaper, but it takes 5-10 business days on average. Of course, I'm happy to ship overseas, too! Just ask about shipping rates, and I'll check prohibitions in your country. Some places have some strange rules regarding jewellery materials, so I like to be sure!

BTW- normally, these are priced higher online and in person at shows. I'm wanting to get them off my hands to pursue new avenues; namely, kimono stuff for resale locally. And groceries. Those are very important lately. :P

Agate + Hematite Earrings, $15 + SH

Gold/orange/white agate just glows! Each stone has a slightly different swirl of colour, but I've matched them as well as possible for these gorgeous earrings. Fall is coming, and these are the perfect thing for that gorgeous black dress at Halloween!

There are two of these sets: one more yellow, and one more white-tinged. Please indicate which you'd like, or I'll ship the yellow ones shown here by defailt.

Finishing beads are non-magnetic hematite.

Magnetic Hematite Bracelet, $18 + SH

Magnetic hematite bracelet is XS for very petite wrists, but a larger one can be made! Bracelet is approx. 6", and has a sturdy zinc alloy clasp.

Aside from being merely pretty, various stones are thought to have special power from the earth. Magnetic hematite is thought to provide relief from aches and pains by increasing the circulation of blood, thus helping to transport more oxygen throughout the body. Hematite itself is known as a stone for strength and endurance!

Again, this is only a small sampling of the jewellery I have for sale. I do wholesale bulk lots of assorted jewellery, if anyone is interested. I'd be happy to e-mail photos of what I have on hand; you pick what you'd like and I'll give you a wholesale price for the lot. Minimum order is $100 on bulk wholesale orders.

For Sale: NigatsuBebe Jewellery + Accessories!

2011-08-18T04:21:00.002-04:00

Folks, I'm having a blog sale! I have SO MUCH STUFF to close out from my former ArtFire and Etsy accounts that don't belong on BebeTaians' sites. And, come to find out, ArtFire has messed up payment processes due to their website changes yesterday. The day I make my second sale. Lovely. x.x Paying directly through Paypal is an assured way of sending and receiving payment that clears quickly, meaning that I can ship just as quickly!

So, I'll make this relatively easy and foolproof! If you're interested in any of these items, message me and let me know which items you want, and I can invoice you through Paypal. Maximum shipping on most items is $6, Priority Mail. This means I will fit all I can comfortably wrap in a Priority Mail box that reaches anywhere in the US within three business days. I can ship regular mail too; it's cheaper, but it takes 5-10 business days on average. Of course, I'm happy to ship overseas, too! Just ask about shipping rates, and I'll check prohibitions in your country. Some places have some strange rules regarding jewellery materials, so I like to be sure!

BTW- normally, these are priced higher online and in person at shows. I'm wanting to get them off my hands to pursue new avenues; namely, kimono stuff for resale locally. And groceries. Those are very important lately. :P

Sodalite Pendant, $15 + SH

Handmade wire-wrapped sodalite pendant on 18" silvertone chain OR adjustable black cord- you choose. Each one is made to order. No two stones alike! Also available in several other stones, so ask away!

Aside from being merely pretty, various stones are thought to have special power from the earth. Sodalite is said to bring emotional balance, self-acceptance, and thus increases spiritual perception. It is said to tie the head and heart together, harmonising logic and intuition.

Assorted Stretch Rings, 10/$2.00

Assorted glass beaded stretch rings, each handmade. All are a little different. Since they stretch, you don't have to worry as much about sizing. Each are closed with a crimp tube, not knotted, so they are less likely to come undone.

They're cheap enough so that you don't have to feel guilty about splurging, all while adding something new and fun to your jewellery box! They also make great party favours, and are just fun to wear.

Have a certain colour scheme in mind? Don't like a certain colour? Let me know and I'll pack and ship accordingly.

Acai + Wood + Hemp Keychain, $15

This keychain ring is made of wood and fair-trade Acai seeds, picked, drilled, and dyed by Bolivian artisans before being strung on sturdy hemp cord. It's a bright and brilliant accessory that will surely have your friends asking where you got such a nifty thing! I also have two of these made in natural white/blue/pink. Looking for other colours? Message me, and I'll check what I have on hand.

My dad lives in Bolivia and is happy to ship great beads like this to the States! If you're just looking for a source of supplies, we pay fair-trade prices locally so that artisans can make a better life for themselves and their families. Paying artisans a fair wage means more opportunities for them to send their kids to school; books are rare in Bolivia and can be prohibitively expensive, and being able to attend school means access to them and the better future that education brings. Feel free to make requests and I'll see what we can do to help you. Prices will be discussed in advance, so there's no surprises!

This is only a small sampling of the jewellery I have for sale. I do wholesale bulk lots of assorted jewellery, if anyone is interested. I'd be happy to e-mail photos of what I have on hand; you pick what you'd like and I'll give you a wholesale price for the lot. Minimum order is $100 on bulk wholesale orders.

About Shinei

2011-08-14T22:35:00.001-04:00

On Ebay and elsewhere, there's a seller by the name of Shinei. He/they overtook Ryu-Japans' shop, and they also have two or three of their own shops under various names on various websites.

For a long time, I bought many private collection items as well as others from them. They started the ads at a ridiculously cheap price and reasonable shipping from Japan. However, it seems that their practices have been increasingly erratic and outright deceitful towards their buyers. There is also some evidence that someone has created a shilling account to deliberately raise prices on their own items by placing false bids.

If Shinei feels that they are not getting enough money for their items, they should simply raise the starting bid price on their kimono. Many sellers like japanese.antiques and kyoto-antiques do this and sell successfully, at much higher prices. It is not fair to artificially inflate prices on buyers after the fact.

They also need to be more honest about shipping charges.

For myself, I am fine with paying for higher shipping than normal because of the vastly deep discount on the item itself; I even plan for a high cost because I only use EMS service. Otherwise, SAL may take months to get here, and has sometimes gotten lost on the way. I have lost quite a bit of money on items that never arrived and were past the date of dispute because of Ebay's policies. EMS costs two to three times as much, but it is well worth it! But then, Shinei has not inflated prices so much for me. Perhaps because I have shown that I can navigate the Japanese postal website, or because I tend to buy a few hundred dollars worth of items at a time. However, for other buyers, they have asked for two or three times the shipping price for any form of shipping on a single items. This is a ludicrous practice, and by the time you find out, you are often locked into a buyers' contract on Ebay.

Then there is another issue: dishonest selling practices regarding descriptions.

I have previously warned that many Japanese do not generally wear secondhand kimono items. They are mostly sold for crafting purposes, or to wear for events where something new and pristine isn't necessary. For example, I can wear wool or cotton kimono to a restaurant I am now training at, but I would not want to wear a new one because it will get stained easily. A used one with some damage makes more sense. But because these things are normally used for crafting, and not wearing, many sellers who do not natively speak English to begin with don't even think that Americans are buying with intent to wear, and therefore, neglect to mention damages. This is more of a cultural misunderstanding and naivety on their part, not something malicious. This is why it is a good idea to always ask about an item if you are not sure. Stains can be hard to see in photos; I have firsthand experience in trying!

However, Shinei has demonstrated before that they understand that these kimono are being sold for the express purpose of wearing, and yet they have previously intentionally photographed things in such a way as to disguise or hide flaws in order to sell them more quickly and at higher prices. Personally, I have come to expect damages to something I buy, regardless of whether or not they are described, but for some items this is inexcusable. It is one thing to photograph an entire item and have a stain that specifically fails to show up on camera due to whatever reason (such as the way the stains on my blue Taisho kimono won't show up because the blue colour distorts the lighting), but to specifically avoid photographing a section of an item with a very obvious damage or stain is deceitful.

Previously, I really enjoyed my experiences with them because I haven't had any of these issues yet. However, the complaints from other buyers are mounting. I feel I cannot support a business with such a bad reputation any longer. This is incredibly disappointing; it means raising some prices because many of the cheaper kimono item exporters have shut down due to the circumstances Japan is facing right now.

Mainly, my goal is to provide great items which are accurately described and photographed at fair prices, which can be shipped expediently because they are already in the country and are thus not subject to losing them in transit from half a world away. I can ensure quality of items before they leave my hands, and not leave buyers wondering at what they'll actually get in the mail as I do when I buy from Japan. I hope to continue to be this kind of provider. Some changes are coming soon now that ArtFire is changing their seller account structure, but the name and services will be the same. Please keep looking out for me, and for new items. I have so many things that I am looking to list because they are not vintage, and I do not want to falsify the information about them only to put them up for sale. They will become blog-exclusives, I think!

Creativity in the Face of Adversity

2011-08-10T18:58:00.001-04:00

Let's face it, the past two months have been rough for me. It's a story I'm sure many share some variation of. Both of us unemployed, with our savings having run out long ago, hospitalized twice in a week for near heart failure, the car breaking down, so, so much stuff happening like that, all in a short space of time. It's a little much. But I have hope still. I have to. Thinking of how bad things have gotten for friends, and how bad things have been in Japan in the past six months, and seeing how other people carry on despite their setbacks, I remember that I can't give up yet. As for everything I wish I'd done, or wish I could have done? Shoganai. It cannot be helped.

So, in between looking for work and calling about jobs, I've been trying to keep busy. Cleaning the apartment makes me feel better somewhat, but what I really like doing is going through everything we own and finding out what we can sell. I go through periods of acquiring stuff and destashing stuff; this is a good time to destash. It gives me a sense of purpose, and I don't feel so bad letting go of things if it might keep food in the pantry. Thus, why I sold off two of the kanzashi from my private collection. My hair really isn't long enough to wear either one, and won't be for years, so there's not a whole lot of reason to hang on to them. ^_^ The other things I've been doing? Making stuff!

Currently, I'm crocheting up a ball of cotton to start a blanket as an ongoing project. My joints tend to hurt a lot, so I plan projects that don't require using the same dye lots. This one is made specifically to look patchwork-y because the variegated yarn knits up into approximate "squares" of colour, like a patchwork quilt. If I don't have cottons that come from the same dye lots, no big deal! The blanket will be in a myriad of blues and white.

Another project that I'm going back and forth to is a quilted growth chart. Most people don't want to mark up the walls of their apartment, and people with houses sometimes move, so it makes more sense to make a growth chart for your kids that you can take with you. This one is for my cousin, who is having a girl in September. The sides are patched together from some spare cottons I've had for years, and the centre is mint green, also from a fabric I bought... seven years ago, I think. The part that's taking forever is the hand-beaded patterns running along the sides. I ran out of beads halfway through, and now I'm having trouble acquiring new ones. It seems that every place I'd bought them before has clearanced them! Eek! So I have to come up with a new plan, but even so, thirty or so squares of hand-beading is quite a bit for me. Then I have to put on the binding and finish the centre quilting.

The third project I have is much easier than the first two! I have so much fabric from the mint green piece that I'd cut, I have plenty to make a stack of koshi himo. All of the work is in measuring and cutting, and THAT I can handle!

The fourth is a series of cat toys and stuffed birds; the series uses a set of general patterns for both, but one set is stuffed with catnip and doesn't have the extra ribbon loops or button eyes, nor are they embroidered or anything like that. The other set is worthy of a Macy's Christmas tree.

The fifth is finally finishing the kinchaku I put off when I went to the hospital the first time two weeks ago, then had the Natsu Matsuri to pack up for the next day, then run and unpack from Natsu, then back to hospital... it all just kind of spiraled out from there on that project. But I have to find the pieces I was working with again, and finish putting them together. It's a pattern I made myself, so I want to make sure it works before cutting fabric for and sewing/weaving cord for ten of them.

The last project is one I've already nearly finished and forgot about: a datejime I made years ago, with a matching obi makura. I need to finish them both up and start on a new set! The datejime are particularly useful. They help keep the kimono from shifting too much when worn, and can flatten out a figure or fill in a curvy figure (like mine x.x) to make kimono sit in a more appropriate shape. Today's kimono silhouette is more of a cylindrical shape, whereas previously, it wasn't so rigid. However, the style of hikizuri as a daily wear died out in the Taisho era, when ohashori (the tuck at the waist or hip) became standard. Datejime also help the torso keep warm when wearing kimono in cold weather.

The goal here is to keep busy, feel productive, and to sell off or use up things that I already own to create something new and perhaps even put them up for sale. It helps keep the despair factor down because I stay distracted, and the sense of accomplishment from making something keeps me satisfied for that day. I posted about all of this for that reason: because it helped me, maybe it will help someone else keep going.

I'll update with pictures of these projects later! It's a little dark to take photos in here right now.

::le sigh:: Selling Kanzashi.

2011-08-07T20:59:00.000-04:00

I finally caved and put some of my beloved kanzashi up for sale. At a loss, even. But it was necessary- I have bills to pay, and there isn't enough money coming in for both rent and food. So, in the hopes of better days, I put my bira kanzashi and the Taisho kogai up for sale. Both end in only a few hours now. I'll be a little sad to see them go, but I hope that one day, I'll be able to afford to support us both for the basics and also one day afford some Taisho bira kanzashi, the brass and silver/aluminium kind!

I started the bira kanzashi at $15, since I paid $30 for it. I'm hoping it'll get a bit higher than that, but who knows what people can pay these days. I feared going much higher on it for a starting bid simply because I've put up so many kimono things that go nowhere. I was hoping that the yukata sets would be more popular, since Halloween is coming up! But maybe not yet- not until September... then things will pick up, I'm sure of it!

The Taisho kogai is also for sale, starting at only $10. It's fairly damaged, but still functional. It might have been nice to do a Hone Onna thing for Halloween, but in reality, I never do anything that night... :P Probably, it's a bit more valuable. Ah well. Shoganai, ne?

I might think about listing others in the future. Much of my jewellery is likely going with it, as are some of my kimono accessories. If you have a few moments, you may want to check out my Ebay page!

Hiroshima Anniversary

2011-08-06T16:43:00.139-04:00

On this day, August 6th, 1945, American President Harry S. Truman ordered the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan.

On August 6, 1945, President Harry S Truman announced:
"Sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima, an important Japanese Army base. That bomb had more power than 20,000 tons of T.N.T. It had more than two thousand times the blast power of the British ‘Grand Slam’ which is the largest bomb ever yet used in the history of warfare."

He told Americans that this location was a military base and a threat to our country- and then used the public support to use a largely untested atomic bomb what was actually a civilian city. He followed up with a second bomb on August 9th, knowing full-well what it would do as evidenced by what happened to Hiroshima, on Nagasaki. The bombs killed around 200,000 people. Most of them were civilians. Most of them died from flash or flame burns resulting from the bombs. Other died from debris, or fallout. Uncounted many afterwards died from radiation poisoning or leukemia.

And this was still not enough for the Americans. There were seven more atomic bombs waiting to be used on Japan- another scheduled for August, three for September, and three for October.

Somehow, many Americans still excuse this today by saying that more would have died if we hadn't done this. Of course, no country wants to be responsible for one of the greatest tragedies that has ever occurred... but the fact is, we need to take responsibility for these past actions and learn from them instead of excusing them.

Some background information:

In 1923, Emperor Taisho was still alive. However, he was very ill for most of his life, and was forced to leave his wife, Empress Teimei in charge for much of the time. Her eldest son, Hirohito (who became Emperor Showa), was a devout Shinto practitioner and patriot. Much of his life and education was centered around war; with his induction into the Japanese army and at 19 years old, he was made Major. By 1921, after a tour of Europe, Showa took power from his father. He was not officially Emperor yet, but due to his fathers' loss of faculties, he was given ruling abilities.

During the rule of Meiji and Taisho, alliances had been made all over Europe. It was a time of relative peace and prosperity. This was dissolved in 1921 under Hirohito/Showa, with the termination of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance treaty. In 1923, the country was in turmoil when the Great Kanto Earthquake devastated Tokyo and many other regions. That same year, Showa ascended to Lieutenant-Colonel status, and became full Colonel in 1925. By this time, Japan was in financial and political turmoil. Hirohito became Emperor with the death of Taisho in 1926. That's about when all hell broke loose for Japan.

Showa was a warmonger. He believed that Japan was sovereign above all other countries, having been made by the Gods themselves. As such, he wanted to conquer every other country, and set out his armies to do it. He never held any opposition to attacking China; Showa's armies invaded Manchuria in 1931 and the rest of China in 1937. In the interim, armies were spread out over various small island countries in the area; all of this triggered the Second Sino-Japanese War. Showa and his advisers believed that they could use China to harvest the mainlands' material resources and labor forces, and fulfill their destiny as "rightful" rulers. Along with fighting against the Chinese, the Americans and the Russians lent their support to the side of the Chinese, so Showa was suddenly fighting them as well!

Of course, the average Japanese did not know about most of this. They knew that they were at war, but were told daily how they were winning, how other troops were giving up, how many resources they'd acquired, etc. They had no idea why people weren't coming home; it wasn't that a soldier had been reassigned... the soldiers were dead. Citizens had no idea what was really going on. Propaganda was the only news available to everyone. And of course, with the idea of patriotism and national loyalty so firmly implanted in everyone's minds, who wouldn't want to support their country?

The Americans cut off supply of petrol to the Japanese in 1940 with the invasion of French Indochina and the signing of the Tripartite Act, when the Japanese joined forces with Nazi Italy and Germany. Showa mistakenly believed that Hitlers' armies were going to win the war, and thus, secure a way for him to conquer other countries and expand Japan's powers.

Again, the worse it became for the Japanese, the more the Emperor and his followers declared that they were WINNING. (Charlie Sheen, is that where you got your strategy from?) They say it's darkest before dawn... could that explain how bad things were getting for the average citizen? Women were cutting their sleeves from the decadent lengths of days past, wearing kimono less and less simply because shorter clothing and other styles of Japanese clothes used less fabric, and publications like Shufu no Tomo were rising due to their stories of housewives with military sons and husbands, patterns and ideas for reusing stained and torn clothing, and of course, plenty of encouragement for those who were secretly deeply worried and stressed with thoughts about the real state of their country. The Japanese have an 'outer face' and 'inner thoughts'; the two do not necessarily match. So on the outside, public support of their country was priority- following their Emperor, who was seen as a God incarnate, was priority over private feelings of discontent over the direction of politics and the current state of affairs. There is little they could have done anyways; the Emperor could have had anyone he liked executed for what he would interpret as treason.

The Japanese expanded even further, into the Phillipines, Indonesia, Vietnam, New Guinea, and the islands surrounding it. The armies were starving in the fields at this point. Some Japanese troops started to cannibalize captured soldiers, dead or alive. Others preferred to engage in battle, preferring to die fighting.

So, when the years passed and World War 2 was at it's worst, when Showa became exceedingly arrogant and starting bombing on US soil, the President was likely looking for any excuse to shut them down. Propaganda flooded America, claiming that every Japanese citizen was bloodthirsty and tyrannical, and that they would slaughter Americans without fear. As if Japan had innumerable armies at their disposal. The combination of anger over Pearl Harbor and fear of a country most knew nothing about was powerful, and Truman used it to justify the use of two barely-tested atomic devices on civilian cities full of people who had little to no idea what their countries' armies were actually doing. Instead of bombing actual military sites, or perhaps choosing a less deadly and dangerous method, the Americans decided that atomic bombs were the best course of action for the time. It certainly ended the Japanese side of the war; the Japanese declared surrender on August 15th, 1945.

Today, whether or not the use of atomic bombs is still debated. Certainly, they should not have been used on civilian towns of innocent people who had little to no idea what was happening overseas. But the result of the show of power is debated; did it save more lives in the long run than it ended? Were the lives of innocent people somehow worth less than the actual war criminals engaging in battle? The Americans had no real concept of what the atomic bombs did, either. They only had very limited testing in deserts; there was no comprehension of what it would do in an actual city, to actual people, or of the radiation that would destroy the entire area for decades. The actual effects of the bombs weren't mere giant explosions, leveling everything, as it would appear when testing it in a desert. And once the actual bombs had been tested/demonstrated on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, why were seven more scheduled for Japan?

There are so many questions left unanswered today. It is understandable that many Japanese would feel apprehension towards nuclear devices of any kind, and especially feel angry about the loss of friends, family members, and of everything they knew during the events of the 1940s. Many of the people who were there at the time are still alive to recall those days. It certainly doesn't help that textbooks about the war on both sides of the ocean are slanted towards their own country, which further muddies the matter by spreading an incomplete and sometimes outright false account of what happened.

So how do we move on today? It has been 66 years, and even now, the world is still reeling from the fallout.

It's August Already? Oy...

2011-08-04T05:31:00.002-04:00

I posted on August 1st and somehow missed the fact that it was August 1st. Shows you exactly how preoccupied I've been lately. Oy. Why is time going so fast? Why do I feel like I don't do nearly enough with it? The name for August traditionally is Hazuki (Month of Leaves), or Haochizuki (Month of Falling Leaves).

Maiko Fumino, by Onihide

This months' kanzashi include morning glories (asagao), which are extremely popular on yukata, and susuki- silver grass. It is a very stylized kanzashi that is sometimes painted pink on the underside of the 'spines', to make the top silver part reflect those pale hints of colour. This is usually said to be pampass grass, but actually, they are two different plants.

Kimono motifs this month include summer grasses, bush clover, uchiwa (round fans), various animals such as deer and rabbits, children playing, thistles, fireflies, kingyo (goldfish), and fireworks.

Fortunately, it is still ro weather. Gauzy, open-weave silks are in fashion for a little while longer. Really, the way it is in the States right now, it should be ro weather all year long! o.O I can't wait for it to get cold again. I want to see deep purples, white, dark blues, golds, silvers, and brilliant reds. I want to walk outside, turn around, walk back inside, and walk out again with a jacket of some kind. I don't particularly care for snow (or rather, I like snow; I just dislike driving in it), but cold? Bring it on! As such, we have to wait... at least right now, the fashion is to dress in cool clothing. Even yukata are hot to wear right now!

Kagiri aran
Naka wa hakanaku
Narinuran
Tsuyukeki hagi no
Ude wo danitohe

          There comes an end
          To us- how brief
          It seems;
          Dew-drenched, this bush clover:
          If only you would ask it!

Izumi Shikibu

For Sale: Vintage Japanese Peacock + Lotus Bowl

2011-08-01T00:02:00.000-04:00

It's a gorgeous bowl, isn't it?

The unique lotus shape gives it a flair unseen in other china, and the brilliant hues of the pattern really make it stand out! The gold detailing gives it an even more expensive feel- but this piece isn't expensive at all, compared to what was paid for it years ago. It has been in storage for a very, very long time. And now, it's time to find it a new home.

I am unsure of the exact age of this work; I only know that is has been in the family since the 1980s and is likely no older than that.

This was one of many pieces in a collection by the Fuji China company. There are other pieces of the same pattern, but I do not have any of the others. It was easily paired with any plain white or white/blue dish sets, and having so many, why pursue more? Instead, I chose a few favourites to keep.

Fuji Quality China bowl is approximately 6.5" across, and about 4" high. The porcelain is in excellent condition. It was made in Satusma, Japan.

Won't you take it home with you?

Private Collection: Kanzashi

2011-07-29T22:43:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a moment to show off my private collection of kanzashi/kushi.

It isn't particularly large, and I'm hesitant to get more at the moment... but one day... maybe I'll add a few special pieces to the lot. At one point, I had very long hair, but when the Gulf Oil Spill became an issue, I cut it to my shoulders and donated it to Matter of Trust, which made hair mats and booms to help soak up the surface stuff.

Of course, this meant that I didn't have nearly enough hair to wear most of this stuff. My hair is ridiculously thin. Even at waist-length, it only made a small bun when piled up. Long enough for an ornamental comb or some decorative bobby pins, but wearing a bira kanzashi (the dangly silver one) in *my* hair? Dream on! Especially for as long as those prongs are...

Didn't stop me from buying one though, did it?

The white plum blossoms are from Atelier Kanawa. The blue were made for me by Naomi of Kimono Asobi (Puchi Maiko fame!). The yellow one is a plastic reproduction of bekko (tortoiseshell), and the silver birabira kanzashi is a reproduction of a higher-end type worn by geisha. This one, I think, is made for odori. The others are Taisho-era brass, alloy, wood, and shell works. I am considering selling the alloy kougai (just above the kougai made with shell and wood). The last one is a faux-tortoiseshell comb that I picked up in a vintage shop. Probably, I paid far too much for it, but it was such an interesting shape that I didn't want to pass it up!

Ah, I lied. There are a few more kanzashi I want. I want to add some brass bira kanzashi, some more kushi, and especially some Meiji-era bekko pieces. But THOSE will cost a fortune, and I don't have disposable income for hair combs right now! So, they will have to wait. <3

Want your own? I have a lot of some vintage kanzashi here. Some are traditional Japanese, some are fashion accessories that likely originated in the West.

For Sale: Sushi Plates!

2011-07-29T11:06:00.000-04:00

Vintage sushi plate set: five plates and a serving tray.

These have actually been listed for awhile, but I decided to take new photos since I didn't like how the last ones came out. The old ones were dark and small, and not incredibly clear. I also thought I had only two plates until I discovered three more packed away. I've now retaken photos of them, and I hope that people can see the true beauty of these pieces!

I think the plates are four-season friendly, which is excellent for those of us who don't have room to have different sets of dishes for each season or month. There is something to be said for acute attention to the changing of times, but it isn't doable unless you have a china pantry the size of my kitchen, now is it? A plate set that covers all seasons is probably the most practical choice, and the more beautiful that one set, the better!

This one is adorned in peacocks, gosho guruma (lucky carts), seigaiha (waves), houou (phoenix), maple leaves, plum blossoms, Chinese bellflower, and peonies. It's especially colourful, adorned in blues, greens, reds, and white- perfect for those who want to get away from the Chinese-style "blue and white" patterns so common to what we think of as Asian dishware!

Personally, I especially love the blue/green tones. I think a traditional indigo-dyed noren hanging would amplify the depths of the blues while accentuating the lightness and vibrance of the other colours. Technically, noren are door curtains, but really, they make great wall hangings in a Western home that would otherwise have no place for them. They tend to be relatively cheap, so they can be changed often- and usually, they're good-quality cotton, so they're easily remade into other things like quilts, aprons, handbags, etc. <3

The makers' mark on the back is Tokunaga, I think (but I'm not a native Japanese, so I can't say for sure!), and the other is Su-en possibly.

They were carried from Japan around 30 years ago by my friends' lovely mother, who had a passion for beautiful dishware and decor. I can see exactly why she loved these so much; and how much she must have loved them, to have carefully carried them by hand in luggage through customs and airports, just to get them home!

Here they are, listed at ArtFire. Take a look, won't you? I ship Priority Mail every time, so they arrive very quickly and safely.

Beef Teriyaki OMG.

2011-07-27T23:15:00.000-04:00

As previously mentioned, I am an idiot and ended up in the ICU. Yay for undiagnosed critical heart problems! As such, I am in some serious need of certain nutrients. I apparently go through them much faster than most people, and will until I get proper medication. Some of those nutrients include iron and protein!

Which would explain why I am now desperately craving beef teriyaki. Oh, Just Hungry site, how I love you. You make my adventures into learning Japanese cooking much less perilous. You allow me to have an idea of what I'm doing. Wonderful Obento Person, you ensure that I can cook delicious food.

Basic teriyaki sauce:
- 4tbsp soy sauce
- 1tsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Salt and pepper

You'll need some oil in a pan for searing the beef. I prefer a more tender cut, thin-sliced, so that it can be coated in teriyaki sauce and seared to a delicious shiny glaze almost instantly, before or after being threaded onto a skewer with slices of green onions. With a side of white rice, of course. Don't use Botan. It isn't even worth the glue I made from it last time I cooked. UGH. Use something like Kokuho Rose or Nishiki! It's slightly more expensive, but well worth it.

This meal alone I feel qualifies for a hearty obento. Add veggies if you like- my fave. is goma-ae. That'll be spinach, barely cooked (in order to get the most iron out of it, it needs to be cooked a little), tossed in mirin, soy sauce, sesame seeds, etc. I HATE spinach, but when my homestay mother made this for me, I discovered a love for vegetables I never knew I had. It was like experiencing God. But it was food. Pair these three things together, and you will have one of the most wonderful meals that has ever existed in the entirety of human history. Some people have adapted the recipe for broccoli, but to me, that's sacrilege!

Take a moment and thank the nice Just Hungry people for filling our lives with deliciousness. Just comment on your favourite articles. <3 They have an in-site search function for foods, as well as categories. Use them well.

For Sale: Vintage Japanese Tea Set

2011-07-27T20:14:00.000-04:00

This tea set was hand-carried from Japan long ago by a friends' mother.

It's a fantastic set, with generous-sized cups nearly big enough to fit an avocado in, with gold detailing. Each one is clearly hand-painted, as marked by subtle differences in pattern and proportions. A shame I have no talent for reading the maker's name! And even better: I thought the set only had three cups, but it actually has five! The teapot seems so small compared to how many glasses it should fill... but then, I suppose they don't tend to fill glasses more than halfway when initially serving anyways, don't you think?

It's for sale on ArtFire right now! For how rare and delicate it is, I think it's well-worth the price. Surely, this is a special tea set. And samurai (or ronin?)- what a romantic image!

Lots of Japanese Dishware!

2011-07-27T02:12:00.003-04:00

I'm very excited. I have a box of awesome Japanese dishware, the marks of many of which are not in English (so unfortunately, I'm not sure of the maker). They're fairly old. My friends' mother brought them over from Japan long, long ago. I had hoped to have them all photographed already, but I'm an idiot, and ended up in the ICU for the second time this week! x.x As soon as I'm back on my feet, literally, I'll start photographing again!

Amongst the pieces, I have a set of three porcelain cups with paintings of wandering men (I think ronin, perhaps, but I'll have to look at them again), a lotus-shaped bowl with elaborate painting of peacocks, and a cute mini bowl set with lids!

As well, I'll be getting new and better photographs of the dishes that I already have listed, on white background fabric this time instead of the black. I think that while the black shows some of the angles and details of the white ceramics better, and while I may take a few photos of smaller pieces against a non-white background, I am trying to make my standard colours either tan, pale blue, or white.

I also have a pile of obijime to post! There's three or four different ones that I want to list; blue and silver, green and white, silver and pink, and a flat yellow/white one. And a stack of yukata and obi... Although I think the yukata are too new for listing on their own, some of the hanhaba obi are old enough, and if sold as sets, it may qualify. Some premade cotton koshi himo sets are going to be sewn up soon, as well! I've been waiting to put those up, and now that I have my fabrics out and can see how much yardage I have on my biggest pieces, I can make some premade stuff for sale. I did finish one kinchaku bag! I need to get better at making them more quickly.

On top of that, the 1st of August is coming on quickly. Time for a change of flowers and motifs soon! I was happy this year- I saw LOTS of butterflies, dragonflies, and fireworks on people's clothes and accessories this month! I hope that next month will be just as fashionable, and that I'll be able to wear kimono more often soon. I really need to get some ro or ra pieces; I still don't care for going around in yukata... <3

I recall posting the Utagawa ukiyo-e before, but I didn't mention that I have a kimono similar to the one the woman on the right panel is wearing. It's a Taisho-era piece, and may have been a recreation mused from the famous work.

I haven't worn it yet. I want to get the perfect obi for it. I'm not sure about mustard yellow on me. Would red be too much of a match? Japanese sensibilities seem to like contrast... I should check my kitsuke book for acceptable pairings. I should also look for a good pair of shoes to wear with it.

I bought a pair of geta with red velvet straps (which I need to loosen so that I can actually *wear* them!) to wear it with, but it's an awase (lined) kimono. Technically, I think that may call for zori these days, if I'm not going by Edo-era rules. Maybe if I kept to that style, someone would notice what I was imitating?

And this is likely why I don't call myself a kitsuke expert. I don't know nearly enough about modern rules. I've shown myself what to wear by looking at ukiyo-e from Edo period, from studying photos from Meiji and Taisho eras, from seeing people wear them on the streets of Tokyo and from photos of geisha and maiko. People who wore kimono every day as a habit (well, except for maybe the fashionable Tokyo girls). Rules seemed more flexible because they had to live and work in them. It wasn't a ceremonial garment in of itself. Kimono spanned everything, from our equivalent of sweats or t-shirts and jeans to the ultra-formal black tie event dress. It's the reason why I don't take an incredible amount of stock in kimono rules from today, unless going to an event that would require "good" kitsuke. Not too many people still alive would remember the rules of wearing kimono the way I learned how. It's outdated by about 100 years or more. :P But, if going to a modern event, of course I would have to read up on what is expected beforehand...

So, what should I do?

Cleaning House

2011-07-24T19:15:00.001-04:00

I'm back from Natsu Matsuri!

I was very fortunate yesterday; I managed to scrape up the gas money to get there and back, found a shady spot beneath a tree to set up (right next to the kitsuke instructor and try-on booth! How perfect!), and even sold an obi and a map of Tokyo! The gorgeous Tenga obi I had up for sale on Etsy, long ago, the gold and chocolate-coloured one, was sold. It was a beautiful piece. I was happy to see someone so overjoyed to have it! Someone also brought me yakitori, and I bought some delicious ginger and scallion noodles! <3

The car is still packed from yesterday, though. There is so, so much to unload. I'm a little happy that I didn't bring everything I had intended to. I have to haul what I've got upstairs and make room for it all- refolding items that I couldn't fold yesterday, repacking so that everything fits into their buckets better, etc. I also have a new stash of vintage Japanese dishware that I want to photograph and list.

The only trouble I have now is that ArtFire is changing it's structure. Where sellers once could have free accounts, paying only when an item sold (great for those of us who don't have startup money!), they are changing to a fee-based structure. It isn't much, but I would have to sell $200/month to make the fees worth it. I'm definitely not making $200/month! So, now I have to consider what to do. Which means that I think October is my deadline for doing something about this. I really, really HATE changing venues!

I have such a long list of things to do, and such a small amount of energy to do them with. But I think I can make this work- I mean, if I could pull off Natsu Matsuri despite all those setbacks, I can do this too, right? I will think of something!

Natsu Matsuri is tomorrow!

2011-07-22T18:50:00.001-04:00

I'm a little nervous. Natsu Matsuri is tomorrow.

I had so many plans for the event- a very specific view of how the booth would look, feel, flow. How beautifully things would be folded or laid out, hung, protected by clear visquine in case of Florida's famous sudden rains.

And then my health tanked, and a lot of huge financial issues cropped up, and just a lot of generally bad news happened all in the space of a few weeks. Just yesterday we spent the last of the reserve cash that I was going to use to get to the festival was spent after I got out of the ICU. DH is insanely worried that I could have problems doing the festival work tomorrow- you know, hauling huge buckets of silks, setting up the displays that I have (half as many as I wanted to do, and now lacking a tent), working for hours in the heat... it may be too much. But, I am determined. I have to be there! Even if I don't have everything I need (like my cash stash for change). I have to at least show up and meet people, and do what I can for that day. It's better than nothing at all, and missing out entirely.

I have some ideas about alternate displays.

I intended* to have two 5' tables, one square garment rack, and one rectangular garment rack, a mirror, a chair, plus maybe a set of plastic drawers, all under a 10'x10' tent.

What I will ACTUALLY have to work with is one 5' table, the mirror, the three plastic drawers, and the square garment rack.

What can I do? Maybe I can clear off the shoe rack and clean it for various items to be displayed. The mirror can be tied to the table with koshi himo, to keep it standing, or to the garment rack perhaps. The garment rack is self-standing, so it shouldn't be a problem unless we're on uneven ground. My sign can also be adhered to the table if need be. The drawers can be beside the table to provide extra space. I can sit on one of the buckets if I need to. I'll bring a pillow to elevate me a bit. Maybe an umbrella, to help keep the heat off of me.

::sigh:: My main worry now is simply affording the gas money to get there, and having enough stock to really make the sales, since my past weeks' worth of working time was annulled by personal drama. Someone needs to make a 'House' episode about me! :P THEN maybe I could get back to work!

Speaking of. Short time, lots of work. No time to waste!

Coveted Kimono: Vintage Summer Style

2011-07-19T17:11:00.000-04:00

Taisho Ro Kimono, Ichiroya.com

I wish this set were mine. <3 I haven't been wearing kimono nearly* as often as I normally do this year. It has been so unusually hot, everywhere in America (and probably elsewhere, too), I just can't go outside! I get overheated in 70F weather, and when it's 85F at night... I'd rather not leave, if I can help it. But that means I have piles of kimono languishing in drawers, waiting to be aired out and worn! Augh!

So what do I do? Fantasize about adding more to the collection. ::facepalm::

This one is a Taisho ro silk piece, in fantastic condition, given it's age. The price shows it, too! But for a piece like this, I think $400 would be WELL worth it! Purple is a delicate colour, and the bold hagi motif is just irresistible!

I especially love the pairing of mustard yellow with such pale blues and soft greens. They play off the purple beautifully. And there's just enough red to make the proposed obi pop with colour!

Vintage ro obi, Ichiroya.com

The fuji (wisteria) and hagi (Japanese bush clover) motif is a perfect match for that kimono, and the bright reds and blues were so in style during the Taisho era! Even though Nagoya obi were not invented until the 40s, and Taisho ladies would have worn fukuro obi, the style of wearing such an obi would have likely been some variation of musubi that can be replicated with a Nagoya obi.

This one is also made of ro fabric, so it is the same weave as the kimono. How perfect can that get? It's a beautiful late summer set!

Think jade and tortoiseshell hairpins on glossy brown-black hair, coral lipstick, and a cute uchiwa or maybe a folding fan tucked into the obi. Cute natural, unlacquered wooden geta with red velvet hanao. An adorable mustard-yellow collar with red and pale blue embroidery! Maybe a pale silver and sherbet orange obijime with a sweet matching obiage? Or stick with the blues...

Coveted kimono, which will probably be sold long before I can ever hope to afford them. I hope someone buys them both together! What an outfit!

For Sale: Teal Striped Taisho Kimono (1912-1926)

2011-07-17T02:31:00.002-04:00

Taisho Kimono with Teal, Purple, Black, and Yellow Stripes + Red and Tan Lining

Wrist to wrist, approx. 51in/127.5cm
Shoulder to bottom hem, approx. 58.5in/146.25cm
Length of sleeves, approx. 28.5in/71.25cm
All Seasons
Silk/synthetic blend

There are many stains, some noticeable, some that you have to look for. Some are water stains, which discolour the splotches of fabric darker than the rest of it. Some are odd white powdery stains, which might be removable. The rest are from either soy sauce, or something that would cause the browning of fabric such as age or perhaps another type of water damage or stain. The worst stains are inside the lining. I have not tried to clean or repair the item, and so do not know how cleaning would affect the fabric. Generally, I would be very careful with something this old. Synthetics then are not like synthetics of now! They were more fragile then.

On the whole, it looks to be in fairly good condition- most of the stains are not so obvious when wearing. However, because it damaged, I have lowered the previous price and grade of kimono from 'Very Good' to 'Average'. Most Taisho kimono are fraught with some damages because of various events- fires, earthquakes, poor storage, normal wear and tear, etc.

Natsu Matsuri Approaches!

2011-07-14T19:37:00.000-04:00

Here in FL, we have a yearly festival called Natsu Matsuri (literally, Summer Festival). It is one of the few Japanese festivals outside of the usual Morikami Museum fare, and it is near my city. This year, I get to go!

As far as I know, I will be doing some educational things like teaching other festival vendors how to tie yukata easily, and also, vending kimono and kimono items. I have some fabrics here that I will turn into koshi himo, which I love! It seems like such a small thing, but I always like having interesting or unique, easy-to-care-for koshi himo. I made mine out of cotton years ago, and have machine-washed them many times since. They are still in top condition today. I am confident that those who buy these will have the same experience!

I had intended to make piles of kinchaku with hand-woven cords and hand-sewn sashiko quilting as well, but personal events and such have prevented me from having this kind of time. On the other hand, I am making a hand-quilted, hand-beaded growth chart for my cousin, who is having her second child soon. I hope that I can finish it in time!

I also have a new book: "Autobiography of a Geisha", by Sayo Masuda. Although it was written a long time ago, it is a very stark book on the hard rural life of a woman born at the death of the Taisho era. She was indentured to what is today considered the lowest form of geisha house, an onsen geisha (hot springs geisha) house where prostitution was expected. Masuda takes a hard look at the Prostitution Prevention Act passed by Japanese legislature in 1958. This kind of idea seems very favourable to American eyes, perhaps, but the reality of its' effects was much different than most would expect. I suggest you get a copy to read; look for it at your local library first- you'd be surprised what they carry! Then, check a local bookstore or Ebay or Amazon. Any of those places should have it cheaply.

I can't say I lived a life anything but hers, but if there is one sentiment we share, it is this:

"If you ask me what I did know then," (as a small child) "It was that hunger was painful and human beings were terrifying, that was all." (pg. 12 of the Vintage 2004 edition of "Autobiography")

I think it would have been interesting to be able to speak with her personally. To know how things worked in her day, to talk about dresses and people gone by. To get as much information as possible on how things worked in the geisha world she grew up in. Today, we know geisha as pristine artists- and they are, at the top ranks of geisha houses. But of course, there is always the 'geisha underworld', the lower ranks not talked about by higher ranks. The world where a girl did play shamisen and sing, where training was rigorous and expensive, but really, a persons' body was never their own, and only through this life would they ever have a chance at freedom of their own. Eventually, Masuda was able to leave this life, but it was just as hard living without it than with it. Probably, one of the reasons that her story endures today is that she had unusual strength of character and an iron will despite the terrible conditions she battled daily.

Masuda Sayo died only recently, in 2008. She was 82 years old. If you are curious a little, I suggest reading this short page about her.

Taisho Stripes!

2011-07-08T20:23:00.001-04:00

I love Taisho kimono! I'm normally a sucker for lavish patterns, but I'm finding myself attracted to the simple beauty of stripes lately.

If you are just getting into kimono, I suggest striped ones. The reason for this is that even though many kimono are beautiful (and it's possible to find three- or four-season kimono), stripes are the most versatile, chic patterns you can find, and they go with any pattern of obi! They are seasonless, timeless. And what is both more simple and more bold than a striped Taisho kimono?

I have two of these beauties going up for sale this week, as soon as it stops raining. The teal and purple one is already up for sale, but I need to get better, lighter photos of the stains described in the advertisement.

The other is bright red and pink! I love it, but it's the wrong colour for my skintone. I especially loved wearing my bright red plum blossom fukuro obi with it, since the gold embroidery really set off the buttery yellow tones, but I think it's time that it finds a home with someone who can really make it work! <3

Dragons in the Water

2011-07-08T12:29:00.002-04:00

Today I was all set to get photos of a new outfit! Well, maybe not new. I've worn it before, but not on camera. Black haneri, blue hitoe iromuji somewhere between ocean blue and sky blue, and my dragon obi! The dragon obi is a favourite piece since I was born when rabbits become dragons, and it's so versatile in colour that it can be worn with grey kimono, blues, or even paprika red! I prefer the stormy blues unless I'm in a particularly dragon-like mood. I also wanted to photograph some of my kimono better. Someone who has been taking inventory of their kimono collection reminded me that I should do the same so that I can decide how much renters' insurance I need.
Sadly, it has been heavily downpouring all day. I won't complain too much- we really needed the water! But this means that the apartment is completely dark. Even with the indoor lighting, it's very dim and yellowy. Not at all appropriate for photographs! Kaaa. So, what can we talk about today?

Maybe about weather in Japan.

In most places, the rainy season starts in May, and lasts through mid-July. Some places start a little later, and in Hokkaido, which always seems to have gorgeous weather, it doesn't really start at all. The rainy season is called "Tsuyu", and it basically means that you should always carry a small umbrella, even if the day looks nice when you set out! Like Florida, it can go from beautiful blue skies to complete washouts in all of an hour. And if you don't like the weather now, just wait an hour and it'll be different!

Like Florida, Japan's rainy season brings a terribly oppressive humidity. Humidity that rots clothing, fogs up glasses when you walk outside, and makes it feel like it's 20F hotter than it is. Bread on the counter even gets moldy overnight sometimes! (Ask how I know. Ugh.) What on Earth do you do then? It's a time when one can get easily irritated, but there are some beautiful things during Tsuyu to explore.

Ajisai, close-up

- Ajisai-viewing. All over Japan, ajisai (hydrangea) grows in abundance. I saw many, many of these beautiful plants lushly blooming all over Tokyo. The petals can change colour depending on season, breed, and even iron content in the soil. So, if a piece of iron is being broken down in the soil on one side of a large pot, the flowers will turn blue, whereas the other side might be pink- and in between, they'll go purple or have "freckles" of both colours! Ajisai are a rainy-weather flower with petals like raindrops. And if you're going to see flowers...

- Ayame. Irises. Remember what I said back in May about them? There are three different kinds of Japanese iris, depending on where they are cultivated and when they begin to bloom. There is a breed of iris now called "Maiko no hama"- beach of maiko - that is beautiful, and a little striking. It is very white with tinges of purple on only the edges of each petal, while the very centre is yellow. Ayame are popular for ikebana this time of year. There are so many varieties to choose from!

- Hot tea on a slow day. This is the day when I pull out my favourite cups and make good tea. Usually something summery and fragrant, but also sometimes a higher-quality "plain" green tea. Take your time making it and drinking it. Look around at your surroundings while you do, and count your blessings. It's easy to get carried away in the maelstrom of things like kids, unemployment, a harried work schedule, stress from medical issues or family problems, and overwhelmed with chores. Take just a moment to realise that even though all of those things are going on, you are surrounded by four walls and a roof over your head- and that's more than many right now. Inhale. Let it out slowly. How many books have you afforded? Think of the retail value on all of those shelves alone- how fortunate! Are you and your family fed? Well done. Don't think of all the bills and other worries- that will wait until tomorrow. Just take this moment for what it is right now.

- Do you craft? Today is a good day to pull out papercrafts, sewing blocks, or anything you have around. Even blank printer paper can be turned into a few sheets of gorgeous stationary with some time. It doesn't have to be a complicated design, either! If you have stamps, or want to free hand some cute flowers on the edges with different coloured pens or markers, then by all means! Write someone a letter. It doesn't have to be long or particularly interesting. Leave it for a lover, or a friend, or a relative that you haven't spoken to in awhile. They'll be glad for the reminder, and very appreciative of the handmade quality of your note. Nothing is like a handwritten letter, and nothing is like a handwritten letter on stationary you crafted! It's the ultimate freedom to make every letter different. You can even print templates for stationary off of the internet.

One of my favourite projects was buying a gorgeous blank journal for a friend, and then stringing a few beads onto the ribbon in it before filling every few pages with a quote they'd like, or copied from this collection of Japanese poetry. There is still plenty of space to write in the book.This is the one I used.

- Maiko/geisha image journal
- "Asian Landscape" journal (okay, it's Chinese, but early Japanese history involved a lot of trade with China- that's where their writing, clothing, and most holidays and stories come from!)

- Finish up any "loose ends" chores that you have today. If it's raining too hard, there's little point in being outside. So get the little stuff out of the way now! Load the dishwasher, wipe the counters, sweep the floors. Then go back to reading or watching a good movie over tea. Tea solves everything.

What will you do today?

Star Stories: Tanabata

2011-07-07T16:50:00.000-04:00

Photo from Bite-JAPAN

Is it Tanabata today? Every year, on the 7th day on the 7th month, the Star Festival is held. Some places go according to the "new" Western calendar, and some go according to the "old" Lunar calendar. If by the new calendar, then it is today!

On this night, it is said that two deities meet in the Heavens. Altair and Vega, as they are known by Western names, which are called 'Orihime-boshi' and 'Kengyuu-boshi'.

Tanabata was brought over from China during the Heian era, but wasn't incredibly popular until almost 1,000 years later, in the Edo era (1603). Once, Obon and Tanabata were only a week apart, and still are in some regions, so celebrations would get mixed the entire week. There were once two other festivals that mixed and became a part of today's Tanabata. It's celebrated differently depending on where you live because (as with most Japanese festivals) local religions or beliefs mixed in with the adapted holiday. For the most part, it is a day for airing out wishes! Traditionally, women wished to sew and weave better, since most fabric was made by the families who wore it. Men wished for better academic skills, or for other useful skills. Wishes today are written on slips of paper and hung on special bamboo poles; before, they were attached to trees.

The story is a romantic one, and also one of heartbreak.

The Sky God Tentei had a beautiful daughter, Orihime, who was a skilled weaver and made some of the finest fabrics in all of Heaven. Daily, unendingly, she wove this beautiful fabric by the side of the Amanogawa (Amano River). But, as in love as she was with her work, she was very lonely and wished for a companion. Her father, seeing her distress, arranged for her to meet Kengyuu the cow herder. They were a good match- so good in fact, that as deeply as they fell in love with each other and forgot the rest of the world. Cows roamed all over the universe, and the shortage of cloth quickly became an issue in the Heavens. Problems mounted for everyone the longer they were together. Furious, Tentei separated them, but it didn't help- Orihime became so depressed, she couldn't work again. Only with the promise of being able to meet each other every year would either be able to go on. Now, every year, Orihime and Kengyuu are allowed to see each other during the seventh month before parting ways again.

Of course, there are other stories, but this is probably the most famous one.

Another version is that a goddess named Tanabata came to Earth for a visit, but she lost one of her kimono somehow. A farmer named Mikeran found it and took it. When she returned to ask about it, he lied to her and said he had never seen it. He was such a charming person however that she fell in love with him. But later, Tanabata saw the fabric from her kimono drying. When she approached him about it, he finally admitted to his deception. The Goddess, being merciful, made him swear to weave her 1,000 pairs of sandals and plant them under a bamboo tree. Some say he was able to, but only planted 999 of them, causing him to fall short, but was allowed to see her only once a year. Some say he couldn't do it in his lifetime, and as a consolation, could meet her yearly in Heaven. Every version of this story is a little different.

Today, probably one of the oldest and most famous Tanabata festivals is in Sendai, which goes all the way back to the Edo era. One in Hiratsuka is also very popular. Big processions of paper lanterns, trees of wishes, and paper representations of wishes such as gold coin pieces or symbols of a good fishing year are made and marched throughout town. Shinto priestesses who still know how to weave may make a small piece of fabric by a river while meditating in honor of Orihime. Women go around in fashionable yukata, and men tend to wear very casual clothes or yukata or happi coats. All in all, Tanabata is usually not only celebrated for one night, but for a few nights, so there is lots of fun to be had! Hopefully, it will not rain during the Festival this year. It is said that bad weather could cause Orihime and Kengyuu not to meet. However, really, all that paper out in the streets getting wet- eek! So, hopefully, the rain can hold on for a few days!

If you want to know more, perhaps one of the most complete, interesting articles I've read is from this site. I highly recommend exploring it! You can even find out where some festivals are held locally in Japan, so if you are visiting, you can plan for upcoming holidays during your vacation!

Fiona Graham, AKA "Sayuki"

2011-07-04T23:54:00.001-04:00

Since finishing the series of geisha-related articles, I'd like to talk about a topic I brought up about a month ago. I was so angry at this woman's actions that I needed this long just to keep myself under control. I will try to be as organized and informative as possible, regarding my objections to her behaviour.

Fiona Graham is a woman who introduces herself as the first white/foreign geisha, formerly working in the Asakusa district. She is actually an anthropologist who works/ed at Keio University since 2009, and part-time TV producer. She claims to have produced various things for National Geographic, BBC, and NHK, but never says what or when... just before promoting her forthcoming documentary about herself. The only works that anyone has found are books about Japanese companies, not geisha culture, with the exception of a book about herself that is supposed to be published.

There is so much wrong with this that it's going to take some time to point out all the BS in her story and actions.

Firstly, she is NOT the first foreign geisha. Russian geisha were on the rosters as far back as the early 1900s. Currently, there is a Ukrainian woman named Eve/Ibu working in Japan as well. You know why you never hear about her in the news? Because 1) she doesn't make a big deal about being white, and 2) she isn't picking fights with the geisha community. The "other" first white geisha many people hear about is a woman named Liza Dalby, an anthropologist who grew up in Japan. During the 1970s, on a trip to document geisha culture, the geisha of Pontocho, Kyoto, suggested that the only way she learn about them is to become one. She dressed, acted, and lived as a geisha for some time, while expressly informing the women she worked with that she was doing it as a cultural study and had no intention of making the choice a lifetime career. She never went through the mizuage process, which is like a marriage ceremony into the geisha profession. Whether or not she truly qualifies as a "real working geisha" is debated because this was done for educational purposes, regardless of her experiences doing ozashiki parties with other geisha. But Fiona- she looooves telling everyone that she's the FIRST foreign geisha, when she most clearly isn't. One would think that someone who has studied geisha culture for years would know a little about their history.

Fiona also previously had a problem with anyone knowing her real identity, stating that she wanted to keep her geisha life and her academic life separate. Yet, she herself was the one who released her name and personal information about herself- and then got angry when it reached back to Japan, where she lived and worked. Her website is in English and Japanese. What did she expect? If her expectation was that the clients she met while acting as a geisha (ala Liza Dalby) would be disappointed that she was actually an anthropologist, why release that information to them? And if she DID have the expectation of working as a fly-by-night geisha for a year before releasing her book (in 2008) and later, a film documentary, then she has no right to call herself a geisha at all, regardless of the fact that the okiya officially accepted her (under the pretense that she would continue to work as a geisha). She is one or the other- she cannot be both. The roles are incompatible. Where is she getting time to give lectures at Keio when geisha training, even in Tokyo, can take ten hours a day before working all night? Clearly, she's missing some classes.

She also insults Liza Dalby by stating "The difference is like between participating in an army open day as opposed to going through boot camp," in regards to the fact that Liza never became officially licensed. Oh yes, the rigorous Kyoto training (the toughest, longest training in all of Japan) that Liza participated in was like 'army opening day', whereas Fiona's one-year Tokyo training was 'boot camp'. She doesn't mention that one of the many reasons that Liza was accepted into the ranks to begin with was her traditional Japanese musical and dance training from childhood, whereas Fiona was starting from scratch. If anything, the reason that Fiona could become a geisha at all is because Liza Dalby paved the way forty years ago! Fiona's lack of graciousness and thought in her words decidedly marks her as being unlike a geisha. She has also reportedly said some very nasty things to anyone who asks probing questions about her discrepancies, and sometimes to anyone who posts photos of her. She especially attacks anyone who holds a negative commentary of her actions, requesting that they edit themselves or remove their words altogether. Apparently, someone is not familiar with the concept of 'free speech', which we hold here in America. It isn't libel if there's evidence, Fiona!

Fiona Graham, by Kawasaki Satoko

Somehow, in the middle of her ten hours a day of classical geisha training, her actual geisha work hours, and her hours lecturing at Keio AND the time she would need to sleep AND answer virtually every e-mail she is sent at her website, she ALSO found hours to research what is required to start and run a business in Japan! That's right, she now owns a secondhand kimono shop, specializing in an ANCIENT GEISHA SECRET^tm, the TSUKE-OBI! Hers are special, of course! Except that women all over Japan have been using them for decades. Even I have at least a few, and can easily convert a normal obi to a tsuke-obi without having to cut it. AND, she's single-handedly saving Japanese women from the die-out of kimono culture by providing them! How on EARTH did the wearing of kimono last for a thousand years without Special Foreigners like Fiona Graham helping them put one on? The article talking about her business is filled with all kinds of other misinformation, but that's another post entirely. Firstly, I doubt that 80% of geisha wear tsuke-obi.

She also apparently owned a business under "Wakana Gym", which she was fined something like $70K for hazardous building conditions, inaccessible fire escapes, etc. and was reportedly contemptuous and deceitful towards the courts. That was back in 2010. One might have thought that an author who had previously written about business would know something about, say, the necessity of fire exits, or researching legal requirements of running a business in their country. One would apparently be mistaken.

If she's working so hard at being a geisha, how is she finding the time to run TWO businesses AND act as a professor? The answer? She isn't!

Well, not anymore, at least.

She got fired in February of 2011. Do you have any idea what it would take to get fired from an industry where the house leaders are DESPERATE for recruits? Let me frame this concept for you: a national industry with not even a few thousand workers left, of every rank and skill level, many of whom are elderly and without current trainees, is desperate for workers- no matter where you come from, with little regard for beginning skills because they can always be brought up with the required five-ten hour a day training classes. And they fired her.

Why? Because she was throwing fits like a child, fighting with her elder geisha sisters, badmouthing other geisha to her clients, taking clients while illegally working independently, not attending training classes, attempting to recruit 'younger sisters' to train under her without permission of the geisha association, and saying some interesting things about people's husbands- public slander. All of the "geisha skills" she possessed, and the "super-hard training" she went through? Yeah, neither ever happened. All those loud, obnoxious "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I GO THROUGH TO TRAIN! IT'S REALLY HARD!!!" complaints, completely without basis.

Her take on the ordeal? "They're against me because I'm white! Waahhh! Why can't I just walk into a closed society with traditions, rules, and regulations as a foreigner and NOT become wildly popular despite not following ANY of those rules, just like Sayuri?!" Ah, self-entitlement and cultural appropriation. A double-whammy! AND she is still explicitly running her "geisha" business without being registered with the National Geisha Association.

Fiona in Jan. 2011, from Daichuji

That's right. Discrimination because she's foreign. All those problems, and the "real" reason she got thrown out of the karyukai is that she's white. Funny, it didn't seem like they were ignorant of that fact when she was hired. Nor do they seem ignorant of the foreign status of the geisha Ibu, who is very clearly pale, tall, and blonde. Yet, she is never the subject of any scandal... How interesting.

Finally, I'm not even going to get into appearances in-depth, which is another pinnacle of a geishas' repertoire. Appearance is what, 40% of the deal? The rest is in classical training, proper behaviour, and timeliness. Basically, a geisha tries to appear very well manicured at every moment, as a matter of habit. For a woman making $300USD per HOUR in Japan, she doesn't seem to have any kimono that fit her properly. If she does, then she lacks the skill to wear them properly. I'll admit that my own kitsuke is not perfect, but I am wearing secondhand items, mostly from an era where the average woman was a foot shorter than me and had hips ten inches smaller- and even then, my kitsuke often seems to appear more put-together than hers does in photos. The collars are not quite smooth, and the front looks messy where it's tucked in the obi. All one has to do to correct it is tug smoothly at the front to under the arms, where the tucks of excess width should be made. I do it all the time because any kimono that fits my around hips will be roughly 15" too large for my bust- that's a BIG difference in size! I could also swear that I've seen that very kimono on Ebay recently- maybe it was hers? I thought I had seen it back in February, around my birthday... perhaps it was merely a substantially similar one.

The wig size in various photos, the makeup styles she's worn, previous kitsuke attempts over the years... I could go on for quite some time. In the beginning, she was a trainee, so I cut her some slack despite my doubts about her behaviour. She needed the opportunity to learn. Many geisha start off with secondhand items from other geisha, and they cannot be expected to always fit well, so I was lenient. However, with four years of "work" under her belt (2007-2011), I expected her to have become more proficient and invested.

How many of us would jump at the opportunities she had been presented with? How many of us would happily submit to whatever arduous training becoming a geisha requires, just for the chance at calling ourselves by that name? She had these opportunities and more, and wasted them all. I am disappointed. I am disappointed in her, and I am fearful for what her actions could mean for any future foreign applicants to the geisha association. Indeed, I am fearful for what example she could have set for foreigners in Japan in general.

Geisha: A Brief History

2011-07-04T17:36:00.000-04:00

Japanese society, up until the point when Commodore Matthew Perry "opened" the country to trade via iron warship brigade, had little to no problem with either homosexuality or prostitution. Lives were short and tough, and as much pleasure should be garnered as possible. Society had it's problems, no doubt, but as a rule, the Japanese worked hard and played twice as hard. In many ways, this attitude is the same, even today.

In the old days, marriages were arranged by Confucian tradition carried over from China. A woman was to be quiet, helpful, and hard-working, and a man was to be the tireless breadwinner. Matches were arranged according to hierarchical rank in society, benefiting the families involved as groups, not as a union for two individuals in love. For this reason, a person was not expected to be necessarily faithful on a societal level (of course, because individual thoughts may differ from social norms), and infidelity was something to be expected. Of course, this meant the proliferation of "working women", the 'yuujo', or prostitutes.

The role of today's female geisha (as they were all once men) begins with the roles of the yuujo of the past.

Oiran, from Andrew O., WikiCommons

Prostitution in the licensed quarters was seen either as a prison or as glamorous, depending on ones' position in the ranks and personal attitude. Becoming an oiran or tayuu (the highest ranks in Yoshiwara and Shimabara, although I'm not sure of the Shinmachi term for that rank) meant that a woman, normally lowest in society, could get an education, food every day, and wear the finest clothes in the country. They had the choice of turning away customers while keeping their money. Women entered these places either because they were born there, because they were 'currency' for their husbands' misdeeds and debts, or because they were sold as children to the brothel houses because the families were destitute, and had to make a choice between their daughter starving to death, or hoping that she would grow up to be beautiful and have everything she needed taken care of for her for the rest of her life. Of course, children did not start working as prostitutes immediately. They would become servants to older women, learning to clean and fold clothing, sweeping mats and arranging rooms for them until they were old enough to begin training.

These top-ranking girls were more than just prostitutes. They were well-educated entertainers as well. Simply having sex was not enough for an elite patron- they would need to be witty and well-mannered, beautiful and engaging. Even as "outsiders" in society, oiran or tayuu were the inspiration for elite fashion. Their pedigreed speech and mannerisms were of utmost beauty and formality. Only the richest of rich men could ever patronise them, but this became their downfall. Slowly, the antiquated language, over-the-top costuming, and unreasonably high pricing meant that fewer and fewer people had access to their services, and general interest dwindled as well. Customers could no longer relate to the ideals of this lifestyle.

Around the 1700s, odoriko (dancing girls) became welcomed entertainers in these houses while guests waited for their favourite courtesan. Odoriko knew folk dances, something that customers of any rank would know and relate to. They were inexpensive entertainment that put folks at ease until they could see the person they were waiting for. Where oiran where overtly sexual, odoriko were more chaste. As these women got older, they would find other jobs, or adapt other names, amongst them the term 'geisha'- "arts person". Geisha, up until this point, were all men. Adapting a man's title showed considerable tenacity, a display of seriousness in themselves as artists and as human beings.

Those who still worked in the "flower towns", hanamachi, of the brothels were strictly forbidden from selling sexual services- those jobs belonged rightfully to the yuujo. It was the very lack of expectation of sex that set geisha apart from the yuujo. These were women who were empowered by selling their arts, and not their bodies. They were female companions: chatty, interesting, relaxing, providing intelligent conversation to men whose wives were never afforded such education, or who were too busy taking care of the roles of the home and the families tied to it to have time to get an education. These were "substitute wives", in terms of engaging a man's thoughts without the troubles and worries of discussing child-rearing, finances, and other daily troubles. It was an escape from the world, and geisha could handle it all.

Geisha, from Andrew O., WikiCommons

By 1800, most geisha were female. They were wildly popular entertainers, and the culture of the oiran had fallen to them. Gone were the overly-lavish multiple layers of silk uchikake, with it's heavy gold, silver, and brass embroidery, stilted, formal language, and many, many rules of engagement and character. Now was the time for subdued aristocracy, subtle languages and familiar exchanges. A geisha's character was as her kimono; high-class without being flashy, like the black, barely-patterned dress made with the most expensive silks and highest craftsmanship available. On the surface, nothing too out of the ordinary, while being on a completely different level from anything a person can imagine. Where oiran were pretty ornaments, geisha could bend and change with the wind- thus, where the term "Flower and Willow world" comes from. Oiran were flowers; geisha were willows.

Geisha popularity only grew, up to the point of WW2. Then, the collapse of the entire industry leveled the community. Their clothing was stolen, burned in bombings or in raids, or chopped to pieces for the increasingly scarce fabrics. Customers couldn't afford food, much less entertainment, so women went to work as farmers or in factories. Common women (and possibly, a few ex-geisha) looking to make quick, easy money from the invading Americans called themselves "geisha girls" and offered sexual favours, giving rise to the Western idea that actual geisha were a very different breed of women. By the 1940s, the teahouses and karyukai (Flower and Willow world) had shut down completely. It looked as if the profession of geisha was at an end.

True to willow ideals, however, soon after the reconstruction of Japan, the remaining geisha organized as a national industry, setting down protections and laws on how to govern their profession and their workers. Prostitution was outlawed in 1959, in accordance with Western ideals, and selling the destitute into work was illegal as well. Wages became more standardized, and ensured the continuance of the karyukai. Where geisha were once a class of women who changed to keep up with the times and tastes of their clientele, they became curators of traditions gone by, one of the last bastions of Japanese traditional culture. Geisha were resilient, bending yet never breaking, no matter what happened: Kansai or Tohoku earthquakes, nuclear bombings, economic collapse- geisha have survived it all, in pursuit of art and happiness.

It's July Already!

2011-07-03T14:28:00.001-04:00

I'm back! I've recovered- a few days ago, actually, but I got so absorbed in catching up on what I missed... well, at least I'm here to write again. Don't worry. I haven't forgotten the posts I'd wanted to make a week ago. <3

It's July already, isn't it? Ah, the time goes by too quickly. Fumizuki, "Month of Books", is the traditional name for the seventh month. I think this year, I will try to go by Western dates for all things, and then next year, switch to Lunar Calendar dates for some things, like month changes.

This month, fans are all the rage! You'll see a lot of uchiwa hairpins, the broad, flat paddle-like fans native to China and carried over to Japan long ago. There are also special Gion Matsuri hairpins that some maiko will wear, but fans are the main theme here.

Be sure to look for peonies and running water motifs as well on kimono. Running water is a vastly popular and very beautiful motif. I am fortunate to have a metallic silver fukuro obi with ichimatsu (woven checkers) and running water patterns. <3 You might even see kimono for special events with fireworks themes (perfect for us Americans celebrating the 4th of July!), or dragonflies and summer grasses. I myself have a deep purple ro kimono from Taisho era featuring a riverside bed of grasses. I am looking for a white ro obi to pair with it- I have the most gorgeous dragonfly-patterened green and brown obiage to go with it!

The colour moegi becomes very popular in the coming weeks- it's a bright yellowy-green. Also, look for silvers! Cool colours are the most popular during Summer months. The idea is that it's so hot out, one should think 'cool' by wearing cool colours! When it starts to cool off in August, then begin wearing warm colours.

For me, all year is basically ro silk or yukata weather- as thin as possible, because it's so hot outside. However, the fact is that once upon a time, the kimono was a living garment, and many folks couldn't afford silks, much less expensive, delicate gauzy silks. Cottons and hemp fabrics in a single layer were worn, so don't feel restricted if it's too hot or too cool for what is appropriate according to modern rules!

A Short Break

2011-06-22T22:13:00.000-04:00

I had another article planned and partially written, the last on geisha before getting into the Fiona Graham issue, but it's temporarily on hold.

I'll be going in for some minor surgery tomorrow (sudden development; very sudden), and while I can usually work through stuff like that, the pain meds will probably do worse damage than the surgery itself. I don't trust myself to be very coherent for the next week or so. This means that I may not finish the geisha series on time. My apologies to anyone who was waiting for that subject to wrap up!

Don't worry, everyone. I'll be fine. Just heavily medicated. :P I'll be back in no time!

For Sale: Synthetic Pre-War Komon

2011-06-21T22:09:00.000-04:00

I've listed a synthetic pre-war komon this week. It is definitely newer than Taisho, not a "remake" or a hemmed item. It is from probably the late 30s or early 40s, back when red linings were still in common use.

I didn't like this kimono so much when I got it. It didn't go as well as I thought with my skin tone, and I don't tend to care much for synthetics. But after awhile, it grew on me.

It does have a few damages, the most noticeable being the hole on the wrist hem of a sleeve. It could be repaired by simply turning the fabric around, but I never did. There is another hole at the hem at the bottom. I am not sure how repairable that one is. A few assorted stains, but none visible on the outside. Even so, I think it's relatively wearable for an ultra-casual event, like errand-running and such. Since it's a komon, it's already very informal, especially since it's synthetic instead of silk. The lining may be silk, but I cannot tell. But why would someone put a silk lining in a synthetic kimono?

At any rate, it's up on ArtFire and also on Ebay. The starting price on Ebay is slightly cheaper, but it is an auction. I highly doubt that the one on ArtFire will sell overnight, so I'm leaving them both up for now. I have the Tokyo komon on Ebay as well, for the same reason.

A Brief Announcement

2011-06-20T00:27:00.000-04:00

Totally unrelated to normal business at BebeTaian, but I wanted to let everyone know that my longtime other project, NigatsuBebe, which started in 2005, will be coming to a halt soon. I love making jewellery, and I still enjoy it, but I don't feel it is my current passion. I need to dedicate myself to the things I truly love now. Please understand. Of course, I will still be making kimono jewellery!

Because NigatsuBebe is closing, I'd like to offer my followers/viewers here a 20% discount on everything I have left in stock. I will be restocking probably until the end of the year. I made many sales/trades on Etsy and switched to ArtFire at the beginning of the year, if you're wondering about feedback. I was at Etsy under the same name. Of course, I still adhere to my previous policies- let me know if something arrives broken, or if you want an exchange, etc. and I will work with you to achieve a solution. But all in all, once I sell out of my current stock, that will be it for NigatsuBebe jewellery + accessories.

How do you get your 20% discount? Just mention my blog name in the checkout, or message me and let me know what you bought or what e-mail you used for Paypal, and I'll refund 20% of the price of the item. I check my e-mail daily, often a few times a day, so I will get back to you quickly.

<3

芸子/芸者: Geisha, Performing Artists

2011-06-18T16:15:00.000-04:00

Geiko Fukunao, by Onihide

Geiko and Geisha, Performing Artists.

Geisha, or 'geiko' as they are called in Kyoto, are performing artists. The word literally translates to "art-person". These women will spend years of their lives dedicated to studying various performing arts- how to dance, how to sing, how to play various instruments... but they will also spend hours studying other things that we Westerners may not feel are "arts", such as how to properly handle conversations, how to pour tea, how to move in their long kimono (and if you've never tried it, it really IS an art!), and how to perform set movements for all kinds of miscellaneous things: moving a curtain aside, opening and shutting doors, etc. Every little detail to a performance is practiced until it is second nature- and then is practiced again until it IS one's nature.

Notice how at no point have the "arts of male pleasure" entered into the equation. This is because geisha are not, and never really were, prostitutes. In fact, it is the fact that they weren't prostitutes that set them apart from the yuujo, oiran, and tayuu, who were in some ways their predecessors. In fact, in the beginning of the geisha days, it became illegal to sell sexual favours because many of them worked in some of the same establishments as the yuujo. The idea of having the 'ungettable' woman was stimulating, I'm sure.

Once, women who worked as geisha started very young much of the time. The poorest of families would sell their daughters to geisha houses in the hopes that the child would be educated, well-mannered, talented, and beautiful enough to make the ranks. It would mean a lifetime of work for her, but it was a much better position in society than she would have otherwise had, provided that she had survived the poverty of her childhood. It was certainly a better life than death. These children would become servants to the house first, learning how to clean their quarters, wash laundry, and other menial tasks until she could begin training in the arts- the younger the better, since children have more flexible minds and less time to create bad habits.

Geiko Kimiha, by Onihide

Once she had passed servant ranks and trainee ranks (maiko, hangyoku), having learned all of the basic skills in her job, she could finally become a geisha. Being a geisha in the old days meant staggering amounts of debt- debt for her "buying price", debt from all of the expensive, lavish kimono, obi, and accessories she would have had to have made for her yearly, debt for her teachers' tuition prices, debt for the food she ate, all of which came out of the okiya's pocket. For each girl, they would front the equivalent of millions of dollars in todays' money throughout her childhood, in the hopes of making her a very successful and wealthy geisha. The grown woman would need to work to repay her debts.

One of the old practices, which hasn't been done in many decades, was a ritual called 'mizuage', the transitioning of a maiko to a geiko and a mark of adulthood. It is probably part of what gives some Westerners the idea that geiko are prostitutes. In order to recompense much of the money needed for her life starting out as a geiko, and to repay a little of what she spent as a maiko, the girl would be quietly offered to a man for the night. Her price would depend on how much the highest bidder could pay, but it was often vast sums of money. Of course, elder geisha would watch over her in another room, unseen, but even so- for some women, traumatic. For others, par for the course. Becoming a geiko meant working towards freedom in one of the best jobs there were for a woman not of royal blood. After that, sexual services were not mandatory, although many women developed relationships with their danna, who was a wealthy man that would pay for not only their time, but also any clothes or things they needed. Some women still have danna today, although it is up to that person whether or not to have any kind of physical relationship with him. One woman notably married her danna, which was completely taboo. Iwasaki Mineko's story became the fodder for Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha", a fanfiction-like version of Iwasaki's life.

A full-fledged geiko trains daily in various arts, even after seventy years, and can be called away for hours a night to entertain at parties or even to just go on "dates" as nice restaurants or teahouses. They can dress as formally as requested, but when in doubt, more formally than not. During the day, they will practice dancing and singing and read up on customer information before leaving for an appointment, and during the night, they will dance and sing and play drinking games until everyone is very drunk and happy and it's time to end the night. They will then come home, take off their makeup, and head to bed- only to get up in just a few hours.

A geisha's life is only over when she says it is; to leave for another career, to get married, due to severe illness, or to simply retire. Many retired geisha who do not marry go on to operate teahouses, or stay in the artist circles in some way.

To see what geisha do in action, there is no one better to go to than the ever-fabulous Arumukos! This person provides what is possibly the best idea of ozashiki and a geisha's life than any documentary. Why? Because there are thousands of photos, videos, lyrics to traditional songs, etc. on his Flickr pages.

More Geisha info:

Geisha, by Liza Dalby
Geisha, A Life, by Iwasaki Mineko
Geisha: A Unique World of Tradition, Elegance, and Art, by John Gallagher
Geisha on Wikipedia
A Geisha's Journey: My Life as a Kyoto Apprentice, by Komono

Fashion Update! Kimono Are Trendy!

2011-06-13T03:45:00.002-04:00

A short break from geisha for this announcement:

Kimono are apparently becoming a trend in America, and this is spectacular!

I recall seeing a gauzy kimono-inspired piece in a fashion magazine years ago, with bright, bold geometric prints that I thought spoke of a modernized take on the Taisho Modern pop-art movement. Now, it seems the upcoming fashion market leans towards "Oriental" florals!

VOGUE UK 5/2011 - Photographer: Javier Vallhonrat

You can read the original article here.

Meisen Thistle kimono, Ichiroya.com

If I were to follow up on this trend, I would be looking at some 1920s Taisho Roman kimono... or, better yet, MEISEN! Meisen seems like a blurry style, so it doesn't appeal to everyone, but from a distance it is gorgeous.

Meisen kimono tend to be fairly old. The trend was at it's height back in the 1920s-1950s, although they are not too incredibly difficult to find. Basically, meisen fabric was made by dying the threads first and then weaving the fabric to see the design. You can imagine how incredibly difficult this was! Patterns were not often simply stripes anymore, as they so often were when women were expected to weave much of their own fabric. These new fabrics, often synthetic, were now complicated and highly detailed, and yet had to be produced in larger quantities than ever before.

I adore meisen, although at first I hated it. I didn't like the blurriness of the patterns. I grew to appreciate it later, when I got into Impressionism. It seems now like this is the thing to look out for- especially since many meisen-style kimono were flowery. Years ago, I saw the kimono shown here for sale- many years ago. Thistles are a favourite flower, and they seem to be popular in meisen for obvious reasons. Anyone who has seen a thistle knows that they're all thorns and fuzz! Today, I have only two meisen pieces- one is a bright purple haori, the other, a black kimono with no particular motif. The kimono is for sale, and is in excellent condition.

If you would like much more detailed information on meisen kimono, along with photos of examples, I recommend this exhibition at Marcuson and Hall.They have a thorough explanation on how meisen fabrics were woven, and quite a nice collection of kimono to go with it! <3

舞子/半玉: Geisha-in-Training

2011-06-10T00:15:00.000-04:00

Maiko Fukusato, by Onihide

Maiko and Hangyoku: Geisha-in-training.

I thought with this post, if I was going to write about geisha, I might as well start with the beginning of their training. There are quite a few books dedicated to the subject, so I present you with a heavily annotated version of the events leading to becoming a geisha.

Training to be a geisha is different everywhere you go in Japan. It is said that this is partly due to 'aji' of the area where geisha are in demand. Some areas prefer a pretty but silent girl to pour tea, play some music, and otherwise be a symbol of expense and grace while, say, dealing in politics behind closed doors. Others prefer vibrant colours and lively dances and games, leaving all the worries of work behind and simply enjoying a game with a witty, chatty woman with conversations that do not revolve around housework and bills. Some are just looking for higher-educated female company, someone with a taste for finer arts to simply be near for a little while, relaxing and drinking into a floating haze. Different customer tastes mean training for different skills. ^_^

"Training time" can depend on where you are.

Maiko Ichimame, by Onihide

In Kyoto, it is not uncommon for a girl to start working as a maiko-trainee (training to be a maiko) at 14 or 15 years old. If she is good enough and is well-suited to the life, she will become a maiko, or geisha-in-training. This period has a few different stages as the maiko works up ranks, slowly filling out more of her makeup and wearing fewer hairpins. She will first do 'minarai'- learning by watching, picking up how to treat customers, how to move, what to joke about, etc. As she graduates, she will perform a ceremony similar to a wedding ritual, which will "marry" her to the profession. After that point, she will be a full-fledged geisha. If the girl later marries or otherwise decides to retire, she will no longer be able to be a geisha. The role of a wife is incompatible with that of an entertainer of this sort. Maiko training perhaps will depend on things like age when one starts and how quickly they become skilled. Some girls only stay to be maiko and do not go on to become geiko (Kyoto dialect for 'geisha'). A Kyoto geisha who was a maiko has more prestige than someone who entered 'late' and debuted as a geiko.

In Tokyo, training is said to last around six months to a year. A trainee, usually a younger woman, is called a hangyoku- literally, "half-jewel". Because they are unskilled, they earn half the price of a full-fledged geisha. Of course, if the person joining is too old to be a hangyoku, they will debut as a geisha just as they would have in Kyoto. Again, someone who was a hangyoku will have more prestige because they had longer training and more experience.

There is another category of women outside of Kyoto, usually Tokyo-area, called 'furisode-san': girls under 25 who dress up in ofurisode, learn a few dances and songs, and get paid to cheaply entertain. Only very young girls or women wear furisode, so this lifestyle will never last long. But, if you train to become a geisha and are accepted into an okiya, you can have a lifetime of work and study ahead of you. Considering that the Japanese workforce seems to mostly expect women to stop working by their 30s at regular, full-time jobs, this can be a very good prospect. Being a geisha or trainee can mean a lot of money (which they would need to pay for lessons and clothing and everything that goes with the lifestyle), and a lifetime of stability.

In any case, a geisha-in-training must be willing to work hard. In Kyoto, it is not unusual for a girl to work 14 hours a day, six or seven days a week between various arts lessons, ozashiki (geisha parties), dressing and makeup, errand-running and holiday-work such as delivering gifts to all of the places who hosted or otherwise helped them, etc. In Tokyo and other areas, I am not convinced that things are any easier!

In English:
Tokyo Karyukai (not updated in English; intro and photos only)
Translation of Maiko Ichimame's Blog (original blog has expired)
English Article on Ichimame
Maiko: Wikipedia

In Japanese:
Tokyo Karyukai
Geisha Eitarou of Matsunoya

This Month, Geisha.

2011-06-06T16:13:00.002-04:00

I think this month needs to have some discussion of geisha. I haven't really covered the subject here before, since there are already a plethora of photobloggers inside and out of Japan who post new content daily, and who have insider information that I don't have access to- it seems shameful to repost from someone else's blogs constantly. But with so many misconceptions still being propagated, no thanks to certain individuals, it's time.

I'm going to schedule some time to sit down this week and really get a good primer written out on geisha. Immortal Geisha was once really the best English information website to go to, but it's been under construction for ages. They ARE working on a Geisha Wiki though, and I'm really anxious to see it completed!

In the meantime, I made some promises these past few days, and it's high time I started to do what I SHOULD have been doing months ago: scanning in old articles that I've saved about Japan, printed in American magazines. Starting with Marie Claire's "Gucci Geisha" article, dated April 2001.

This was the article that really kickstarted my kimono collection. I got this copy by chance, since I had little interest in magazines of this type. I found it in a YMCA and, being the least reprehensible choice, started leafing through it while working out. I wanted to keep the article (already out of print, an old copy), so they let me have the entire magazine. I'm glad it was one that I kept with me; my entire archive of magazines (several boxes; I'm a bibliophile) such as DISCOVER and WIRED were lost some years later. x.x That year, I recall making beaded hairpins in effort to mimic the jade hairpiece Makoto-san wears in these photos. Of course, I wasn't going for a 'real' maiko look. I couldn't, not on the money and limited information I had in English, but I wanted that style. I had adored my ningyo since I was very small, and this was the jump I needed to really begin taking charge of my interests in art!

I apologize now for not having proper scans. This article is very worn, and I have no access to a scanner just yet (working on it!) You can sometimes find copies of this magazine at Amazon or Ebay, if you look up the month and year with the title 'Marie Claire'. It is not posted on the internet elsewhere, and the website does not have it archived, so that is your only chance to find a copy yourself. Please click on the photos for larger versions.

I present to you "Gucci Geisha", from Marie Claire: April 2001.

More Cats.

2011-06-06T13:21:00.002-04:00

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Okay, after this, I promise I'm done talking about cats for a little while!

Yep, more talk about cats. This time, cats in ukiyo-e! I knew there HAD to be some. As long as there are piles of comfy things, there have been cats. As long as there have been expensive hand-woven silk cords, there have been cats. Usually in abundance. The nicer something is, and the less you want it to get ruined, the more cats there will likely be. Maybe it's their way of reminding us that 'stuff' isn't important?

So I went digging.

Lots of cats in ukiyo-e. Enough for there to be postcard sets issued (check Amazon)! >D It's great. I'm extremely pleased to find a page dedicated to compiling images of this subject. Go there. Spend hours looking at photos. Know that no matter how safe you try to keep your things, there will always be a cat there to safeguard you from becoming too connected to material objects. It is said that cats rejected Buddha and his teachings, but the way they act sometimes, I wonder if that's really true? They've done an *excellent* job of keeping me from having nice things for long...

Utagawa Kunisada

I'll warn ahead of time that this isn't going to be an educational post. Today is about appreciating art, as it is. <3

The pattern on the woman's kimono to the left is flax flowers, I think. I have a Taisho-era one very similar to it, along with a red juban for underneath. Seeing portraits like this make me want to reenact the scene somehow, and take "real life" photos. It's an awesome ambition... although I had originally intended to list that kimono for sale, maybe now I'll hang on to it. I can always see about a museum maybe hosting the private collection for awhile...

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

It seems that ukiyo-e of many smaller figures composing larger figures or images was very popular for a time. You can see in in ukiyo-e of yokai, where many men will compose a portrait of a larger men, and such themes as this. This time, it's cats forming the characters for "catfish". Kuniyoshi seemed particularly fond of cats, although they appear in so, so many different artists' works...

And, of course, what kind of post would this be without at LEAST depicting the reality of owning both kimono AND raising cats? The love, the admiration, the destruction, the heartbreak... Severus, my dear smart-aleck cat, destroyed a Japanese post-war jewellery box which was a family heirloom... Seraph, who shredded a Taisho-era juban I'd been airing out (she decided it made an excellent ladder to the top of the closet, naturally!)... Bebe, my very own bunnycat, who thought that a silk summer outfit was a GREAT place to stretch her claws, gave me hours of patching to do before I could even THINK about wearing that kimono again... as a juban... Oh, my collection has paid dearly over the years. I can only imagine the anger and frustration that women in Japan must have felt as their ridiculously expensive, hand-woven kimono were torn apart by their beloved felines. And yet, how often we pick up and play with our cuddly companions despite this.

Toyohara Kunichika

Fiona Graham, or Sayuki.

2011-06-06T03:16:00.000-04:00

This is a temporary reminder to write about a subject I wanted to forget about for a very long time. Ah, but it seems unavoidable. I need to distance my emotions tonight and write this tomorrow.

Also, I have made a promise to dig out an old Marie Claire article on maiko, related to the Fiona story. I will try to find a place to scan it for me so that I can post it by the end of the week. Don't let me forget!

Mochi. Or Rather, Daifuku.

2011-06-03T23:32:00.000-04:00

It's Daifuku, isn't it? This kind of mochi cake. But it just says "mochi" on the box. Mostly, I think we call it mochi here in Florida. Most people don't use the proper 'daifuku' term.

It's my comfort food right now. Normally, I'm a big fan of taro daifuku, or of anko daifuku- that is, it's like... hn. Taro is like a potato-like root vegetable. Satoimo. Normally, it's poisonous, but it's not really once it's soaked and cooked properly. Anko, of course, is a type of red bean paste, pounded with sugar and made with azuki beans. It's very sweet and delicious! There was a kind that I LOVED, but I can't find it anywhere anymore: mango mochi! It's orange mochi filled with mango sorbet. Oh, so, so SO good. And cold.

Since I'm under the weather right now, this is what I'm eating. Not too flavourful, no strong smells, not too sweet or too salty. I'm avoiding the taro and anko kinds, since they're too sweet for me at the moment, but the peanut butter kind is soooo good. The mochi is lightly sweet, the peanut butter lightly salty, all of it chewy and smooth. It's carbs, it's protein, it'll keep me going for the day... provided I don't have to do anything. I've been seeing glutinous rice powder in the asian food stores, and I've been wondering how to make it myself, since six pieces of daifuku are $2- and when you're eating two or three a day, it gets expensive. At least, for a little while. My craving for mochi comes and goes.

Apparently, making mochi the "new" way is very easy! The "old" way involved cooking a certain kind of glutinous rice, like the kind used for onigiri, and pounding it in a mortar one way while a partner moistens it and turns the mortar the other way. It is especially a tradition reserved for the new year. Sometimes, especially in anime, you'll see a rabbit making mochi in the moon! <3 The new way, so, so simple.

I found this exact recipe in three or four different places online, and I'm not sure who published it first. I haven't tried it myself yet, but I plan on doing so very soon!

Daifuku Mochi:

- 3 c. water
- 1 c. sugar
- 16oz. mochiko (glutinous sweet rice flour)
- Katakuriko (potato starch), for dusting
- Food colouring optional.
- Some kind of filling, if you like. Peanut butter, chocolate, premade anko (youkan, bean paste bricks are excellent when halved), ice cream... use your imagination!
- Little paper cups are a good idea. The kind chocolates come in. Otherwise, use wax paper.

Bring water to a boil. If you want coloured mochi, add the food colouring now, with the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add mochiko a little at a time, stirring constantly. Continue stirring over medium heat until the lumps dissolve. The dough will be thick and sticky.

Place dough on a smooth surface dusted with katakuriko. Allow to cool slightly. Sprinkle and distribute with more katakuriko and knead a few times until smooth. Form into a log. Pinch off a 1 1/2-in. piece of dough and flatten into a circle. Place a small spoonful of filling in the center, usually around a tablespoon. Fold edges around filling and pinch shut to seal. Line up these delicious treats on wax paper or drop in those little paper cups. If using ice cream, of course, wrap mochi and freeze.

Makes about 2 dozen mochi.

Oy. The Untimeliness!

2011-06-03T22:39:00.000-04:00

That's a word, right? "Untimeliness?" Living in this country is affecting my brain.

I had a cute post on cats halfway tonight, continuing the theme from the previous weeks, but my images are on the other computer and there's still a lot of content regarding those images that I need to write up. But as it is, I've done nothing but eat and sleep today. It's... it's been a rough day. But don't worry. I'll bounce back in a few days or so!

I got a great package this weekend. Well, two, actually. One was samples from the new Shiro Cosmetics collection, so now I have a truer red and some golds and pinks. The reds and pinks especially are useful for doing any Japanese-inspired makeup, and they stay for hours even without primer. The other is a couple of brass kanzashi for my private collection. Also, an old black and white photo of an actress. I'm not sure who she is, but I'm in <3 with old photographs. I have a scrapbook specifically devoted to archiving old postcards and photos from Japan. Of course, I have some newer things in there as well, from when I visited back in 2005, but they are very easily distinguished from the others.

Since I can't really do much tonight, I'll probably think up how to do the Natsu Matsuri (Summer Festival) coming up with minimum work involved. It is going to be a HOT day in July, and I will be carrying my weight or more in silks alone, not including tables, tents, etc. I will also need to redesign and print some business cards. It shouldn't be too hard, since I have a banner already. ^_^ And since it's an in-person show, I can bring things that are newer, and not just vintage items!

This week, my husband somehow found the money to buy me some new fabrics to make things for the festival. Items like reusable incense pouches and drawer sachets are indispensable when storing kimono! But most of the time, cheaper ones could have things in them that can stain your fabrics, or you can't refill them when they run out of scent, or you can't change the scent. I intend to design one that avoids all of those problems, PLUS it'll be washable! I'm also going to be making a small assortment of cotton kinchaku (handbags), featuring hand-woven kumihimo cording and sashiko embroidery. There will, if I can afford the start-up capital, datejime and koshi himo pre-made. I found some great small-print cottons in a few colours that I love, so cutting, sewing, and ironing are going to fill my final days before the Festival.

::sigh:: I adore my husband. I really don't know how he does it. And all without complaints. I'm a lucky girl, aren't I?

The Lunar Calendar, with Regards to China

2011-06-01T00:45:00.001-04:00

Today, Japan uses the Western-enforced Gregorian calendar. Of course, most places do these days, in order to keep step with the Euro-American way of doing things. Many holidays today fall according to Gregorian calendar dates, like today, which would be "Minazuki"- the month of rain. This is the month when maiko wear hydrangea (ajisai) and willow (yanagi) hairpins or kimono.

However, many holidays are still done by the Lunar calendar.

When you try to look up the Lunar calendar, you will probably get hit after hit for Gregorian calendars with the moon phases listed. This is fine, if you are into say, astronomy, astrology, or some form of Paganism involving rites based on the moon phases. However, it is completely useless when it comes to determining Asian holidays and seasons!

Chinese government to the rescue. It was the first easy-to-read English document on the actual Lunar calendar, with monthly changes gridded according to Gregorian dates in conjunction with Lunar dates in a small format that made sense. ::le sigh:: Oh, China. Today, you made my research on Japan so much easier. I thank you. A very happy Year of the Rabbit to you all!

It is today that I found out that tomorrow is the 5th month starting, according to the Lunar calendar. This, of course, makes sense when one remembers that the "real" New Year begins in February. It will also help me time the dates of the Meeting of Heavenly Lovers, Ghost Month, etc. Isn't that AWESOME?

I really would love to get my hands on a Japanese Farmers' Almanac, the kind superstitious folks once used. As many books as I see published on neo-paganism and Euro-based superstitions and magic, I never see any on Asian forms, aside from something popularized like Feng Shui. I know it must exist- these rites ALWAYS exist, especially in countries where every creature has been said to have a soul or a life of it's own. Any story on obake/yokai showa that even a well-used lamp wanders off on it's own once in awhile! But yet, I rarely see these books here. I would love to do the research and publish sometime... I think it would be well worth the cost. I think many students of Japanese culture would be interested, wouldn't you?

Is It Worth It?

2011-05-29T18:15:00.000-04:00

It can take me some time to bring out buckets of kimono-related items, figure out which are old enough to be vintage, and which are likely too new (with newer kimono, it can be difficult to tell!), pull out something that can be photographed with current lighting, get good pictures, edit those pictures, post it online with accurate descriptions and measurements, open up each piece to double-check it for damages, refold it, and put it away. For all this work, sometimes I have to ask: "Is it worth it?"

Is it worth all this trouble for items that have some damages, which may or may not sell? It is worth it to go through all this trouble for cheaper items, when the time spent doing these things will never be counted in the sale price? Is it worth it to take the time afterwards to blog about each thing, to pick apart history or stories of similar items of the time period, to speculate endlessly of times long gone by?

I think so.

Even when I feel like it's too small of a niche market, like every person interested in kimono is also selling them, reminding myself that I will never get paid for the time put into procurement and listing... every time I leave a show without having sold a single thing... I remember that I don't do it for profit.

I do it because I love wearing kimono, and I love introducing kimono to those who have never seen or worn them before. I love the art of each piece.

I love the feel of silks new and old, I love the smell of incense and smoke and mothballs whenever I get a new package...

I love surprises, like when I bought a "maru obi" which turned out to be far too small, and not a maru obi- it was a tenga obi, an obi for dancing. And more than that, it wasn't in mint condition as I'd thought. It had small stains from years of tiny red flowers being folded into the fabric. On one hand, it spoiled the embroidery. On the other, how did someone manage to pack flowers into their clothes? Was it intentional? Surely not- surely, the owner must have known that it would stain forever... see, this is what I mean.

While I would love to hang on to every piece I buy forever, some don't fit anymore, some don't look right on me, and some will need accessories that I don't yet have- and with few opportunities in such hot weather to wear kimono as often as I'd like, I'd rather keep pieces that I REALLY adore and share the others with those who have no experience with importing these things themselves.

Now, does anyone know what to do with an obijime like this?

I haven't tried to clean it, but it's pretty heavily damaged with age. Small brown spots everywhere. The tassels can be easily restored with some combing and ironing, but the stains. Eek! It's a very stiff piece. Maybe someone could use it for something else- maybe for stiffening a hem, hidden inside other fabric? I'll be listing it on ArtFire, very, very cheaply compared to obijime in better condition. I bought it to go with my Meiji-style wedding ensemble, but when it arrived, the condition was too poor for this. I went with a different pale blue obijime instead. A shame, since the colour really was perfect for the obi! Alas... it's just another thing in the pile of stuff to "destash". Goodbye, obijime.

For Sale: Formal Obiage, Vintage Rice Bag, Obijime!

2011-05-27T23:11:00.002-04:00

Some things for sale this week! I got my camera working well enough, and was lucky to have a very bright day to photograph things! So I pulled out some of my smaller items and have begun listing. Some things have many more photos available than what ArtFire allows in a single listing, but as usual, everyone is free to message me if they want more photos of anything in store. <3

An obijime I loved- and oh, I did love it so much. It came with an orange obiage. I don't have many obiage that aren't pale pink, so I think I'll keep it, but I don't think I'm quite so enamoured with the obijime anymore. I think it's time for this gorgeous piece to go to a new home. It's in very new condition, despite not being the newest thing on the market. I doubt that it was worn very often by previous owners. Although, if requested, maybe I'll sell the obiage too. I think it did have a damage or two, like a small hole here or there, but nothing that would make it unwearable.

This is the obiage that got listed- white silk, clouds of shippo... it's gorgeous. I bought it for a wedding ensemble, and really, having a white obiage was great for wearing kurotomesode!

That being said, it IS a formal piece. I don't think you could wear something so 'flashy' to a tea ceremony, or with a wool kimono or something like this, but for a furisode or tomesode, or for a wedding, I have seen them worn. At some point, I will buy up some Japanese wedding magazines and scan sections of them to give everyone ideas of their own!

For a less-formal kimono, maybe 'plain' silk, or if you're young enough, you might be able to get away with less-intricate shibori. If you've seen the red shibori obiage listed, it has been made flat to better show the detail of the design. I would wear it with quite a bit, if I didn't already have two or three others like it! :P

The last item is a prize, in my opinion. It is an old rice bag, reconstructed from a used cotton piece for the lining, and maru obi fabric for the outside. I love the drawstring cord and tassels, especially since there wasn't any teal in the actual obi fabric- yet it looked so good with that bag!

Although, I think it would not be ideal as a carry-around tote. The threads may not be strong enough to carry the weight of things. Probably, it really is best to just fill it with rice and store it safely on a clean shelf. Alternatively, perhaps storing something like extra washcloths or something light would not be unreasonable.

All in all, it's been a busy week (although, perhaps not for Bebe Taian). I've been thinking up outfits for items that I don't have a "match" to- a rogue obi, or a kimono that doesn't quite have something appropriate to pair it with. I'm also fascinated with a blogger called 'Okinawa Soba' on Facebook and her fascination with turning traditional kimono-wearing into high-fashion couture. Not by cutting it up, of course! Rather, by simply wearing a kosode with modern accessories, over jeans or a dressy top, tying it shut with a leather "obi" or somesuch. I want to try out this style in person myself sometime- maybe for a museum visit? <3 Maybe I should wait until it isn't so hot out...

Coveted Kimono: Speaking of Cats...

2011-05-25T12:40:00.000-04:00

Speaking of cats...

I saw this kimono last week, and... I literally have NO money to spend on anything that isn't food right now. We're talking rice and beans. Beans may be optional. I guess this is a good time to go on that diet, eh? ^_~ But oh, I saw this, and... my heart just broke a little.

This kimono may not be the most decorative or fabulous piece, but how often do you see cats on a kimono? I can't think of too many, unless they were made very recently by someone like Mamechiyo. And I don't think I can hope to own one of her outfits!

Technically, what kind of kimono is this? It isn't komon- the pattern isn't "all over". Not houmongi, either, I don't think. Certainly not iromuji with a pattern on it. So what kind is it considered to be? I'll have to look through the categories to find out. In any case, it's strictly informal without mon (crests)... an obi with temari motifs would work so well here...

This one was for sale from Kyoto.Antiques. I will warn ahead of time that the reviews of their service seem to be hit or miss; either it's excellent, or it's a trainwreck. If you are going to purchase, I recommend getting EMS (tracking and insurance) that way you are covered. EMS from them when I purchased previously arrived within a week or less. However, SAL might never reach you, regardless of seller, and with SAL, you can't prove whether or not Kyoto.Antiques shipped the item or not. Regardless, Ebay has a few protections for buyers, so open a dispute within one month of purchasing from overseas and send a polite letter informing the seller as to why; it can always be closed later without incident. Otherwise, you have no recourse, regardless of who you bought from. SAL has taken up to 3 MONTHS for me! But I digress... Service aside, they somehow manage to come up with some interesting items...

::le sigh::

If I could have a kimono commissioned for me, it would have my cats on it. Deep red-purple, with rolling bamboo screens like the Heien era women used (and that are still used today! <3) tied with red cords, cats rambunctiously playing with temari and each others' tails. It would be epically cute!

Dante, the Takehisa Cat

2011-05-24T12:49:00.001-04:00

This is Dante, the Takehisa Cat.

Dante is your ordinary housecat. She's timid, lazy, and is interested in pink jingly balls, food, and anything that looks like it might be food. Also, she guards the refrigerator by sitting on top of it and sleeping there, reminding everyone who owns the food contained within. She likes cheese, fish, and raw chicken. She has three companions here, and a twin who doesn't live with us. All of the cats have terrible reactions to Meow Mix, despite having few or no allergies whatsoever. She prefers Evos or Wellness, which are both mostly meat. But, there is one thing that separates her from other cats...

She has a thing for kimono. Most cats like piles of clothes, especially anything expensive, but I swear, she wants NOTHING to do with them when I have a new batch piled on the bed- she's only ever interested in the box, which is *obviously* made for scratching and sleeping in. But every time I put one on, she HAS to be all over me! Something about being in kimono makes her desperate for attention. She wants to be held and carried all over the house. But I only carry her while in synthetic kimono- she has the habit of doing "kneady paws", the flexing thing cats do with their claws when they're comfy. All over my shoulder while being carried. Tearing my kimono. The synthetic sha and ro ones are easy to fix if they're not torn- a safety pin or fine needle can push the threads back into place, but... actual holes... ahhh, there's not much I can do then. Silly cat. Isn't she strange?

But why "Takehisa Cat"?

Takehisa Yumeji, a Taisho-era artist who usually depicted women in kimono, posing with cats- especially black cats. Black cats like my little bear-faced Dante.

It is my ambition to one day get a kimono similar to the one in the painting... I've already scouted various obi that I'm opting for. I love that bright turquoise colour! And yellowy-beige is something that I'm liking on my skin lately. It's funny. I used to despise that colour. But now, it looks like an option that's better and better... and the bright pink underlayers! I could always get a bolt of silk and make my own lining to imitate that look. I'm not sure about the pale coral haneri. I'll see if I can get something similar for the sake of accuracy, though. Then I would just need to hit up a good hairdresser, get a few more hairpins, and take some photos over at Ichibans. (Ichiban is a local Japanese restaurant with good decor.) Really, I can't ever pull of her look too well. I just don't have quite the right face. I wish I could invite my friend in Japan to dress up! She'd be perfect.

Hnnn I think my ambitions outweigh my monetary ability to perform them. :P

New Listing: Custom Koshi Himo!

2011-05-22T23:06:00.002-04:00

Okay, it's a cop-out. Sort of. My camera is on its' last legs, and I have no money to replace it any time soon. But I hope to have a bright, sunny day that I can take more photos during soon! A day bright enough to take good kimono photos without the lens messing up and making everything blurry. :P

But really, I am taking orders for custom-made koshi himo on BebeTaian. I have listed for three sizes, although because they are custom-made, I can always make larger or smaller measurements. Ah, the beauty of handmade accessories! :P

First, I check out quality quilting cotton, since this tends to be a durable sort. See this himo? I've been using it (and machine washing it) for about eight years now. Seriously, you get one set of these, and you'll never need another! Cotton, esp. good quilting cotton, can be expensive- but it is SO worth it.

Then of course, I have to take the time to wash (pre-shrink) and iron the cotton. Pre-washing it in dye-free, fragrance-free detergent means that most of the shrinking of the cotton is done already, and they shouldn't shrink on you again. Skipping this step means akward, lumpy sewing when the fabric shrinks, but the thread doesn't. Never skip the pre-wash!

Afterwards, I have to accurately measure and cut the cotton into long strips before sewing them into himo. Then I have to turn them and iron them again. This is a lengthy, tedious process because I want them to be absolutely flat and evenly ironed. It would be so much easier if I were a machine! Then, finally, I sew the ends shut by hand.

The beauty of custom himo is not only in knowing that these items were handmade for you, and that they will last a very long time with proper care, but also that you can choose your colours. Do you want to match something to a kimono? Send me a pic and I'll do my best! Have a specific colour in mind? Let me know. I'll work on getting swatches, Hex codes (HTML colour codes for matching), etc. Or I can just send you two matching himo from cottons I already own! Come the hols, I can make you Christmas himo! Easter? How about some bunny himo? I can also special order Japanese-print cotton fabrics, but the price on this can vary.

Really, I think koshi himo are an under-appreciated kimono item. Of course, no one is going to see them, but still- YOU know that they're there! And when standard sizes are just too short (or just annoyingly long), you can always get a pair that were made for you. <3

w00t! Made a sale today.

2011-05-21T16:33:00.000-04:00

I'm very happy to say that today, an obijime will be finding a new home. I'm extremely excited, since it'll also be my first sale at BebeTaian! <3 I think my first customer should get something a little special, don't you?

They're Here Already!

2011-05-11T09:49:00.001-04:00

They're here already! <3 Paid for on the 8th, arrived the morning of the 11th. Isn't that freaking AWESOME? The cats are up, jumping around, so I'm going to wait until I clean the floors and they start napping (about midday) to open up everything and really look at it. But so far, I'm not disappointed. The shipping time alone was amazing.

I can tell on the ofurisode, while it's folded, that much of the kinran has either faded off (what's left is thread wrapped in paper with flecks of gold) or has weakened. It will need to be restored. I want to get real kinran for that. Also, I think it may have been hand dyed because of little things that I don't usually see with machine-printed items: slight overlaps in inks, tiny runs in certain colours... things like this. I haven't checked stitching yet, but not so long ago, a woman was not considered to be well-educated if she couldn't sew a kimono. For it's age, I am certain it was hand-stitched. Even so, I will check to be sure. As for repairs and sewing, I am sure that I can learn quickly.

The tomesode is in equally bright colours. Much brighter than what I'm used to seeing for something from the 1930s. Again, it looks to be hand-dyed and sewn. I will have to check them both more thoroughly for damages. Because the advertisements did not really mention any specific stains, only a "3/5 condition" for each, I am not quite sure what to expect.

But again, this is the risk of buying kimono online from overseas with some sellers. You cannot see in person what you are buying before it's in your country. Since these are very old pieces, I hope that they are wearable, and if not, at least displayable and can be fixed. Not everyone understands that silk naturally turns brown or yellow with age, and it doesn't always do so evenly. I expect there to be stains on both pieces. I am just not certain about how extensive the damages are. Today, I will find out.

UPDATE:

The tomesode is almost pristine. Aside from some faint white marks on one sleeve, there are no flaws that I can find anywhere. Of course, the pattern at the bottom is starting to yellow, but that happens when something is nearly 100 years old- tell me that you'll look as good as you do now in a century! I expected to pay around $100 for something like this, plus shipping to import something like this. Tomesode are relatively common- since they are so formal, I hardly expect them to be worn frequently. They will probably spend the most time in storage.

The furisode, however, has many, many damages. It cannot be worn. I am hesitant to attempt cleaning it. I may repair the existing threads, but I cannot bother with spending so much money tracking down and buying real kinran to restore it. This is beyond my expertise. But, it is still probably good enough for museum viewing, and the crests are clear. Furisode of similar age and quality on Ichiroya cost around what I paid to double to triple what I paid for this one. I may be able to do some inconspicuous spot-cleaning after I research how to best clean the silks, but it will never be wearable. Still, I am not disappointed. It is possible to fix the existing threads, some of the actual embroidery is still beautiful, and despite the many, many stains, some of them may be able to be cleaned or lessened. For a Taisho furisode, this is about what I expected. I am happy that I got the discount that I did- it allowed me to get a pristine early Showa piece- but I am also not unhappy with what I found. It's par for the course.

The real question is now, with the condition of the furisode, should I bother with buying an obi to match it? Even just for display... with the possibility of reselling it...

Another Unexpected Gift!

2011-05-08T20:03:00.000-04:00

Another unexpected gift.

The seller miraculously gave me a discount on the ofurisode. A discount great enough to also purchase a Taisho or early Showa-era tomesode, a very stylish one.

I believe it is early Showa because the tomesode does not have the typical mirror-image pattern at the bottom. But, it's a little bit of an unusual thing, I think. It is long for a tomesode of that era. At 64", it's a little long, isn't it? I have a purple ro kimono of the same crest and approximate age which is over a foot shorter.

Interestingly, someone on Immortal Geisha recently found a darari (maiko) obi with the Taira butterfly crest. I have to wonder- is this a common crest, or, like the ivy crest, is there some small variation to this crest used by an okiya that may no longer exist? Is the iro tomesode I already own a common iro tomesode, or was it owned by a member of some okiya for regular wear? Is this new tomesode long because it is really a hikizuri of that time? Some hikizuri of Taisho and early Showa were only an inch or two shorter or longer than this one, with approximately the same wingspan (wrist to wrist length). Or, was it only made for a very tall person, who had no connection to that world?

The furisode is a little odd, too. The ofurisode is most definitely Taisho or early Showa, but it is about 66" long according to the advertisement- long enough for someone who is 5'4" to wear it! Almost a full foot taller than the average woman in Taisho era, and still a few inches taller than the average Japanese woman today! Taller than even most men of that time...

I only hope that the seller does right by me and sends them EMS, and that they arrive here quickly and safely. The seller didn't mention any stains, which makes me a little nervous, and the "rating" was 3/5. However, I hope I can clean stains and make any repairs to make them presentable enough for museum display. It would kill me to be forced to cut them for craft materials. It would really break my heart...

So, what does everyone think?

A Spectacular Gift!

2011-05-07T15:39:00.002-04:00

Today, I went to see my mother in law. Or, who I like to think of as my real mother that I'd only recently met. :P Like me, she has a great interest in refined things and antiques- arts that should be preserved. I had only mentioned it in passing, I think, because she had asked about BebeTaian and how business is going, but I found a kimono that I fell in love with. A kimono that would be the prize of my collection, and that would be an excellent museum piece once I restored it. However, it was unthinkably expensive to me. Perhaps not a big deal for a museum, which is where I think this piece should be, but not for someone who needs to buy groceries and pay for insurance. Underhandedly, she gave my husband the money for it. Ah! I am being told in no uncertain terms by her to get it and do whatever it takes to get it displayed where it belongs!

If you recall, Fuji Musume was the first ningyo I owned. It was the icon of the style I wanted to have one day. Really, Edo period is my favourite for clothing, but since obviously Edo clothing no longer really exists, Taisho is my favourite for wearing. I love the longer sleeves and the bolder patterns! I especially love woven-patterned kimono, but I also have a taste for yuzen and shibori. But of course, what girl doesn't? The kimono I found is a spectacular yellow kosode with three seasons patterns on it. The boldest are kiri (paulownia) and momiji (maple) but it also appears to have pink strands of fuji (wisteria)! It looks slightly like the kimono sleeve barely shown in under the red shibori kosode. I think if I can find a second kimono like the red one, it would be amazing. But really, only this one is perfect for so many seasons. I already have a black and orange winter obi that would match it perfectly, and could acquire an autumn one as well. But what I really want is a wisteria obi, in crimson, black, or something in a kabuki-style.

I think an odori obi would do the best job in a museum, next to this piece. Perhaps acquire a maiougi (a special dancing fan the performers use) and some other accessories for it as well. The kimono needs some repairs, and I will have to pay for new kinran to fix it. The seller did not mention stains, but as it is very old, it likely has many. Maybe the art museum would pay to host the collection for a month or so.

Right now, I am waiting to hear from the seller of the ofurisode. I hope very much that they will make the furisode available to me quickly. I would like to contact the local art director about an exhibit as soon as possible. If I am very, very lucky, I can schedule a summer exhibition for when people are out of school. Probably, however, it will be during the winter, depending on how far ahead an exhibit must be planned. I will have to speak to them about sales through the museum as well, and what that entails. Of course, I would not sell this furisode! Only some of the other pieces in my collection. That way, I could repay the money given to me for this most wonderful art!

Oh, wish me luck!