Kanzashi of The Month: December - Maneki and Mochibana
On The Second Day Of Fun I present… the monthly kanzashi feature! I was hoping that Kazurasei would upload a new image for 2018, but they haven’t yet and the month is almost over, so we’ll have to make due! You may have noticed that this is the only title to use the Japanese terms instead of the English ones; this is because both maneki and mochibana do not exist in the West, and adding their full names would make the title extremely long ^^; As always, all kanzashi are from Kazurasei.
Image courtesy of Kazurasei. Maneki (招き) - Kabuki Sign Boards Mochibana (餅花) - Pounded Rice Balls For the final month of the year the karyukai celebrates what is actually the beginning of the kabuki year! During the first week of December the maiko and geiko of each kagai visit the Minamiza Theatre and watch the inaugural performances. Afterwards, all of the maiko will go backstage and ask their favorite actors to sign the maneki on their kanzashi. To explain what a maneki is, let’s look at an image:
Image courtesy of Kazurasei. The plates proudly display the names of the actors who are active at that location. The larger the board, the more important/senior the actor. Maneki are a part of a maiko’s kanzashi due to the close bond that the karyukai shares with kabuki; both were part of the same entertainment districts during the Edo Period and many still share the same art teachers. The actors sign the kanzashi in black if they usually act as male characters on stage while others will sign the kanzashi in red if they usually act as female characters. The ones who take on the roles of female characters are known as Onnagata (女形), which means “The Form of a Woman,” and are considered some of the best in their field for convincingly portraying women while on stage, even though they’re biologically male.
Image courtesy of Kyoto Foodie. Mochibana, the other main motif, is a bit different. In areas where there’s a great deal of snow and long winters, like up in Hokkaido, people would decorate branches with small rice balls in pink and white to bring some color to the otherwise dull winter. Mochibana literally means “Pounded Rice Cake Flowers,” where pink ones are meant to represent peach blossoms while the white ones are supposed to be orange blossoms. The bare branches of trees, usually willow for their graceful weeping shape, would be decorated around New Year’s and would be taken down after Girl’s Day on March 3rd. The colors of the mochibana are chosen deliberately as peach and orange blossoms are popular motifs for Girl’s Day celebrations.
Image courtesy of Onihide-san. Going back to the maiko themselves, the overall themes and colors change drastically depending on their seniority. For senior maiko, like Ayano (彩乃) of Fukushima (福嶋) in Gion Kobu above, her maneki and mochibana are flanked by pine and bamboo leaves on a green trellis. The gold and green are simple and speak of her high level of maturity. The only part that breaks the mould are Tanzaku (短冊), which are paper wish strips that are often tied to decorative tree branches, like the mochibana ones and the bamboo ones for Tanabata. These papers act almost like bira to catch the eye of an onlooker.
Image courtesy of Onihide-san. In comparison, the junior maiko’s kanzashi is a burst of color and activity, as seen above on Fumino (章乃) of Fukushima (福嶋) in Gion Kobu! The maneki almost seem lost among the red and green branches of the mochibana and the abundance of playful motifs that are meant to bring good luck. Although it may take some concentration, the motifs on the junior maiko’s kanzashi are as follows: Fuku Warai (福笑い) - A Japanese “Pin The Tail on The Donkey,” but is done with faces instead of a donkey’s rear. Hagoita (羽子板) - Battledores traditionally used for playing at New Year’s that’s similar to badminton. They always feature plum blossoms. Hamaya (破魔矢) - Demon dispelling arrows that keep bad luck away. Koban (小判) - An old style of gold coin to bring financial success. Maneki Neko (招き猫) - “Lucky Cat” or “Beckoning Cat” that is meant to invite fortune. Osu Ushi No Me (雄牛の目) - A bull’s eye, likely added as a way to remember what one’s goals are and to shoot for them. Saikoro (骰子) - Dice, which represent luck. Tai (鯛) - Sea bream, a lucky fish eaten during auspicious occasions and celebrations to wish for strength and success. Tanzaku (短冊) - Papers with wishes for the future on them. With so many motifs meant to bring the wearer good luck it’s no wonder that they’re worn at the end of the year as they’re not meant to bring immediate success, but rather success in the coming year. You can’t rush good things ^^
