Mockingbird

化け鯉; 腕 Bake-Goi; arm #化け鯉 #鯉 #手彫り #刺青 #龍元 #Bakegoi #koi #dragonfish #tebori #irezumi #ryugen

Geiko Mameyo of Ponto-cho. Outside of work, she is a lovely and genuine person. ^^

Snow at the entrance of the Ichiriki ochaya in GIon Kobu (FOUND HERE)

Taisho Furisode. Taisho period (1912-1926), Japan.  The Kimono Gallery.  An unusual kinsha (fine crepe) silk furisode featuring six standing cranes created with yuzen resist dyeing, with simple and sagara embroidered highlights. Five mon (family crests), so the most formal of furisode. This is the outer furisode of a 3-piece kasane set. What sets this kimono apart are: the large size of the standing cranes, and the fact that five out of the six cranes have their heads pointed skywards, an unusual direction that the artist has taken that imparts added spirituality and impact to the kimono canvas. Also unusual for a furisode is that the main impact of the artwork is found on the front of the kimono. The Japanese regard the white crane as the premier symbol of longevity and good fortune. Kimono multilayer sets - called “kasane” - were popular among the Japanese aristocracy during the Heian period of a thousand years ago. Over the past few centuries, until the end of the Taisho period, such three-kimono sets were sometimes commissioned by the premier kimono artists by wealthier families. Traditionally, the outer kimono was black in color, the next kimono red, with the innermost white. The contrasting colors were only visible at the end of the sleeves, at the neck, and at times a little at the hem. This example is the black outer furisode of the set, referred to as “uwagi”, is the one that contained most of the embroidery details and extra attention. This outer was created to be a little larger in size than the two inner layers, presumably to be sure that the inner layers were well-covered. The red middle furisode is referred to as the “first shitagi”, and the white inner one the “second shitagi”

Source: Blue Ruin 1 on Flickr

Koro or incense burner in the form of a fierce long eared hare. Of cast and cold chiseled bronze. Edo period, early 19th century.

松浦シオリ

Ningyo 人魚  (Mermaid) - Japan - 2015

Traditional Japanese dolls by Kyoto dollmaker Shisui Sekihara

Five Maiko in 1910s

300 yro Hanamaru-zu mural by Japanese artist Ito Jakuchu (伊藤若冲, 1716-1800) at Kotohira-gu Shrine (金刀比羅宮). 201 photogenic flowers with bug bites and natural ageing, scattered in grid alignment. Just stunning!

Taisho Uchikake. Taisho period (1911-1927), Japan.  The Kimono Gallery. A plain silk wedding kimono featuring a large phoenix accompanied by pine tree and cherry blossom motifs. Yuzen dyeing, with embroidery and metallic couching highlights and outlining.  For the Japanese, the phoenix is a symbol of peace and the rising sun, a bird whose song is particularly musical and auspicious. Because the phoenix is the female counterpart of the male dragon and its varied colored feathers represent the traditional virtues of truthfulness, propriety, righteousness, benevolence and sincerity – it is an auspicious bridal motif. During the late Meiji and Taisho periods (1880-1927), the phoenix theme was popular on uchikake: the difference on this example is the superlative design, with the phoenix filling up much of the ‘canvas’, in such a relaxed, wonderfully-spaced artistic manner.

#龍 #手彫り #刺青 #龍元 #dragon #tebori #japanesetattoo #ryugen

Source: Onihide on Flickr

Source: Blue Ruin 1 on Flickr

two Maikos reading some O-mikuji おみくじ or sacred lots - Japan - 1910s

Evening Sailboats 

老梅図襖, Old Plum, Kano Sansetsu (Japanese, 1590–1651)