Image is courtesy of My Kyoto Photo. Motif(s): Treasure Ship Belongs To: Kaden (花傳) Okiya Occasion: Sakkō Unlike most special occasion kanzashi, this one is made up of small silk squares that use the Tsumami (つまみ - Pinching) technique rather than foil wires. Because of this, it achieves a much richer and more diverse color palette to render its subject; in this case, a Treasure Ship (宝船). These ships, known as Takarabune in Japanese, are said to contain the treasures of The Shichifukujin (七福神), The Seven Lucky Gods. Since those treasures are usually quite small to render (such as scrolls), the artist here decided to add the Shōchikubai (松竹梅 - Pine Bamboo Plum) trio, known as The Three Friends of Winter, in their stead. Shōchikubai are an auspicious trio of plants that represent endurance, growth, and new beginnings in the face of adversity. There is a crane, a symbol of longevity and fidelity, added to the boat as well. This piece was owned by the Kaden okiya for many years and at least four of their maiko wore it for their sakkō period: Kosen (小扇), Komomo (小桃), Koume (小梅), and Koaki (小晶). In the picture above it is being worn by Koume ^^

What does it cost to walk slowly when the entire street is watching? The oiran parade was performance as power. A top-ranking courtesan didn't walk to her appointment - she processed through Yoshiwara in towering geta, moving in a figure-eight step that took years to master. Katsushika Hokusai's "Courtesan Making a Parade" (c.1816) freezes one such woman mid-ritual on bare paper. No crowd, no architecture. Just her. That black kimono isn't just black - it's covered in pale pine branch motifs (matsu), a symbol of endurance. An interesting choice for a woman whose profession was built on performing it. The striped shoulder wrap in rust-red and Prussian blue, the kanzashi bristling from that towering hairstyle, the layered collars in coral and pink at the neck - every element is a code. Status, season, house affiliation. The poem in the upper left is classical Chinese verse about moonlight, wine, spring clouds. The name 天翁 beside it marks the poet, not Hokusai. Two voices sharing one sheet. Hokusai was mid-fifties here, decades before the Great Wave, already understanding that the parade was never about beauty. It was about legibility. Quelle: meisterdrucke.com

Gorgeous attire for this young model (pic 1 / 2) in a auspicious red retro garb with crane patterns, matched with a modern hairtsyling featuring a dramatic crane+wisteria hairpin

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. ᴋᴀɴᴢᴀꜱʜɪ ʀᴇᴅ

Patriotic planes in her kanzashi.

Umeyuu's erikae: presenting geiko Umeyuu! On the day of her erikae, Umeyuu got dressed in a formal black kimono, renewed her vows with oneesan Umeyakko and presented herself to the hanamachi as a geiko. Congratulations!