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3 sheeps chilling at the farm

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A Two-Case Inro Edo Period (19th century) Decorated in iroe-hiramaki-e and takamaki-e and inlaid in mother-of-pearl and shell with various fish and seaweed, attached wood netsuke of a carp

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Lavish obi with beautiful zakuro (pomegranate) embroidered on black base.

The embroidery is quite unusual, with a lot of different stiches bringing texture to the design.

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@simuero_

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Swimming Pool, Samm Cox

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Jean Paul Gaultier spring/summer 1999

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四つ葉クローバー 根付け ハート型

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Kanzashi of The Month: May - Irises

Kazurasei decided to pull a fast one this month and upload two maiko kanzashi! So, in keeping with what I said I would, I’m going to cover this one as well!

Image courtesy of Kazurasei. Ayame/Hanashōbu/Kaketsubata (菖蒲) - Iris While the wisteria is a versatile motif seen among maiko of all ranks and seniority, the iris tends to be the most popular with senior maiko.  Irises are a gentle flower that comes in many different sizes and colors. However, maiko kanzashi only tend to depict the native Japanese iris, from the genus Iris ensata. The Japanese iris is a mid sized iris whose flowers bloom on a single stem that is approximately the same size as its leaves. Each flowering stem has three buds on average that bloom one after the other starting from the top most bud.  Traditionally, irises are often planted en masse at the edge of ponds as they are water loving plants. Irises grow as well in water as they do on land! By planting irises along the edge of water a beautiful effect known as a “Floating Field” can be seen. The multitude of iris leaves looks magical with the water reflecting off them as they sway in the wind. A scene from The Tale of Genji features a garden of irises that is traversed by a zig zag bridge. The bridge focuses the viewer’s attention to where they’re going and keeps their minds in the here and now, which is a physical manifestation of a Zen philosophy. However, walking along said bridge in the middle of a floating iris field also gives an ethereal quality almost akin to walking on water ^^

Image courtesy of Miyamokko. As for kanzashi, irises tend to be limited to the colors that they naturally bloom in, which is purple, pink, and white. Sometimes yellow, combined with dark purple, can also be seen as the wild flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) is also native to Japan and can be found growing wild along rivers and streams. Even though irises tend to be popular among senior maiko, they can be worn by junior maiko, like Mamekiku (まめ菊) above, with the addition of shidare or a tassel.

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It’s spring!

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Kajita Hanko aka Kajita Jojiro aka 梶田 ハンコ (Japanese, 1870–1917, b. Tokyo, Japan) - 1: Eawase from the series The Tale of Genji (源氏物語より), 1905 Color Lithograph; Ink and Metallic Pigments on Card Stock.  2: Student  (女学生) Late Meiji era Color Lithograph and Embossed Texture; Ink and Metallic Pigment on Card Stock. 3: The Eastern Cottage (Azumaya) from the series The Tale of Genji (源氏物語より), 1905 Color Lithograph; Ink and Metallic Pigments on Card Stock.

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gem samples