Yuzen Atelier "You" （遊） Furisode

Today I'd like to tell you about Japanese traditional Furisode.
Yuzen Atelier "You" (in Kyoto) creates these Furisode.


The cherry blossoms branches are hanging down...
These are standard designs of Furisode,and very popular.
This is handwritten design,and have scarcity value.
(If you interested in this kimono,let me know by e-mail.)



Mandarin ducks and Japanese Iris design.
Mandarin ducks are also standard design of Furisode.
This gradation of color needs high skills of artisan.
The marerial for Furisode is silk crepe.


 This is chrysanthemum design.
 Artisan used wax to express this fine,thin line.It needs high skills,too.

Atelier homepage
http://some-u.com/

The Tale of Genji MuseumーKyoto,Uji

He is "Hikaru-Genji", he's visiting his favorite girl,"Utsusemi".....

These two girls are enjoying "Go"(Japanese boardgame).

        The left girl is "Utsusemi".

        Her husband is away on business trip now,

         so she's having fun with her daughter-in-law....

     Genji's love toward Utsusemi(married woman) grows stronger and stronger...

     He knows this is"forbidden love",but his love burns even brighter.....

      Do you know "The Tale of Genji"....?

       It is a classic work of Japanese literature in the early 11th century,

       Heian period.

       The auther is a woman,Murasaki-Shikibu(紫式部）,

       she vividly described the love affair of  Heian Imperial court society.

       It is sometimes called the world's first psychological novel,

       and universally hailed as a masterpiece.

      This is "The Tale of Genji Museum".

       http://www.uji-genji.jp/en/

       This is visitor-friendly facility,

        and provide us a wealth of information on The Tale of Genji,

        both domestically and internationally.

           This is "Murasaki-Shikibu",

            the author of "The Tale of Genji".

            Murasaki is considered one of the greatest writers

            of Japanese literature.

This is an ancient picture of "The Tale of Genji",

Becoming disital, and it's beautifully restored.

       The ancient noblewoman in Kyoto played with these beautiful shellwork

        with paintings, which depict the nobility's life in Kyoto in the Heian period,

        toward the 9th-12th century.

                    This game is radical guessing.This is also 9th-12th century's game.

                    Players were required to match the right half of a character

                    with the proper radical.

              This is "Byobu",Japanese ancient screen.

               In Heian period,byobu design progressed

               from a standing single-panel screen

               to multiple-panelled folding screens.

In Fukushimaー Don't make light of their lives

In Fukusima,people who live within a radius of twenty kilometers of the nuclear plant have to leave their houses,because of air pollution.
So many livestock,like cattles,are being abandoned now,so many domestic animals in that area are dying by starvation.....because of no foods,no water....
They're destined to be killd by the Government....Because of prevention of contagious disease.
Why do farmers have to abondon them? Because the Government enacted legislation against taking livestock out to another place recently.
Why do they have to be treated cruelly like this?
Was the Government policy toward nuclear power plant proper...? Maybe not.

Sakura and handicrafts shop in Yoshino,Nara

They're Japanese double flowering cherry trees.

They're in full now.

This is weeping cherry tree.

This is handicrafts shop in Yoshino,Nara.

They're all made of Japanese cypress.

They're elaborately carved by sculptor.

They're like jigsaw puzzle.

Lump is one very important piece of furniture

to complement the house interior.

This is lump made of  Japanese cypress,

in the shape of a raft,with cherry blossoms pattern.

This is also handmade lamp furniture,made of Japanese cedar.

This lamp is in the shape of Yoshino mountain,with Sakura design.

Such warm wooden interiors create relaxing atmosphere.

Japan Earthquake Emergency Relief website
http://www.unicef.or.jp/kinkyu/japan/en/2011_0402.htm
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/info/quake-donations.html

Miyako-Odori（Traditional Spring Dance Festival in Gion,Kyoto)

"Miyako-Odori" is traditional Spring Dance Festival,

 in the heart of Kyoto’s historic entertainment district, Gion.

This traditional Maiko Dance Festival is held April 1- April 30.

There are four performance daily-(12:30,14:00,15:30,16:50).

The Dance performance is held at this theater in Gion.

A lot of people visit here today.The weather is very good.

This orange light pole shows sponsor's name of this show.

The promoter of this show said,

"Honestly,we hesitated to hold the event this year,

we thought we should exercise self-restraint,

but we want to cheer up many people,

we want to cheer up Japan now,

and we want to donate the profits to stricken area,

so we decided to hold the event this year."

At the entrance,Maiko and staff women are appealing us

 to contribute to donation for Tohoku people,

wishing early restoration of stricken area.
Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

We have still other 30 minutes before the show starts,

so during the time,Maiko entertain us with green tea and sweets. 

She makes teas for us.

And left blue maiko brings us teas.

These are green tea and sweets.

We can bring this dish back home as souvenir.

Now she is taking a break.

This is like Japanese traditional painting...

These are theater where the performance is held.

Once the show starts,taking photos is forbidden.

So I can't tell how wonderful the show was...

It was so good!

You can see this Dance show until April 30,

This show is really worth seeing!

http://www.miyako-odori.jp/odori_en.html

Please check this website.

This poster tells us about another Dance Festival in Gion.
This Festival is "Kyo-Odori".
http://www.eonet.ne.jp/~miyagawacho/kyo-odori.html
Please check this website.

These kind of Maiko Dance Festivals are held everywhere in Kyoto in April.

This poster tell us about Night light-up of Kodaiji-Temple.

Everyone can enjoy cherry blossoms in the night.

Kodaiji-Temple is very famous,it is one of popular spot in Kyoto.

http://www.kodaiji.com/e_index.html

Please check this website.

April is good season to visit Kyoto.Cherry blossms are in their full,

and a lot of interesting events are held everywhere.

Baikasai ーKitano-Tenmangu (Tea ceremony)ー（梅花祭 北野天満宮） ②

Her kimono is an arabesque design.It is beautiful.

Pink plums are in their full.

This is "Darari-Obi".

As you know,this type of obi is peculiar to "Maiko" (young girl),

After they graduate "Maiko",they become "Geiko".

And "Geiko" wears different types of obi,which is called "Taiko-musubi".

The woman (left) wearing green kimono is "Geiko",

and the girl (center) is "Maiko".

The plum trees are covered with blossoms.

She entertains the guests  with hot green tea.

She smiled tenderly.

The plum flowers are in their full glory now.

We hold this celemony in every Feburary 25 in Kitano-Tenmangu.

So if you visit Kyoto,please take part in this tea celemony with your friends or family.