#rinpa

Korin Ogata

Hydrangea

Artbook Rei...you can find her in my NSFW artbook-in-progress A Chaotic Garden, which will be released sometime late this year or early next year.

Tonight

You will die in my arms

And I will scatter you among the stars

Where you will lay in ecstasy

Each breath is my name upon your lips

I was very inspired by Edo period Japan, in particular the Rinpa school of art (which I have always loved) both in the background and the calligraphy, and the geisha/oiran traditional makeup style. The kimono idea came from an old fanfiction I read eons ago where Jadeite gifted Rei a kimono during a period of captivity in the Dark Kingdom. Since the artbook follows a similar vein, I thought it would be interesting to put her in an original design that reflected the Chaos element, and symbolized Rei’s predicament within the Chaos realm. Rei’s obi is undone, and has it’s own symbolism that adds to the story of the kimono (although it’s hard to see). Her makeup is inspired the Kyoto-based photo studio Esperanto Kokoro Kyoto Okazaki, which specializes in traditional geisha and oiran costuming and makeup. I gave Rei the more elaborate oiran makeup design (given the NSFW themes of the artbook), which make her face really glow :D. The gold calligraphy reads right-to-left the original poem written above.

A better view of the kimono...

The process for the kimono design was a laborious one, with extensive research as to the symbolism of each floral and cosmic motif as well as the design of the kimono itself. Most kimono are organized to tell a picture story, and I’m trying to tell one with mine as it’s a chaos aspect in the art book. The ushiro-migoro (the main robe) is symbolic of the Chaos realm, with Rei being represented by the black spider lilies (Asiatic Hybrid), and the gold Phoenix, which is entangled by the Chinese dragon (my symbol for Shitennou of the East Jadeite, whom I personally associate with the Buddhist Shitennō Jikokuten, after much exhaustive research and anime/manga symbolism detangling to confirm this XD). Both the ushiro-migoro and the miyatsukuchi (the sleeves) have red spider lilies, which are associated with death, however in some contexts they can also have an erotic connotation. The fireflies that light up the entire kimono not only symbolize Rei (the fire element), but also death, which, along with the red spider lilies, is the underlying threat in this chaotic garden (I would like to extend a special thanks to @bowldeepfannish​ and @teamvanessacloud​ for helping me with the kimono motif symbolism!).

Woodblock prints from the album collection: A Thousand Grasses (Chigusa) by Kamisaka Sekka, Japan, ca. 1900

Met Museum New York

Provenance: Collection of Virginia Shawan Drosten

9 5/16 x 14 in. (23.6 x 35.5 cm) Kamisaka Sekka (神坂 雪佳, 1866–1942) was an important artistic figure in early twentieth-century Japan. Born in Kyoto to a Samurai family, his talents for art and design were recognized early. He eventually allied himself with the traditional Rinpa school of art. Sekka also worked in lacquer and in a variety of other media. In 1901, Sekka was sent by the Japanese government to Glasgow where he was influenced by Art Nouveau. Returning to Japan, he taught at the newly opened Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, experimented with Western tastes, styles, and methods, and incorporated them into traditional Japanese works.

[text source: @wikipedia]

Sakai Hōitsu (Japanese: 酒井 抱一; August 1, 1761 – January 4, 1828) was a Japanese painter of the Rinpa school. He is known for having revived the style and popularity of Ogata Kōrin, and for having created a number of reproductions of Kōrin's work.

byōbu-e 屏風絵 - "Fujinraijin tawaraya” - Raijin, dieux de la foudre & Fujin, dieu du vent de

Ogata Kōrin尾形光琳 (1658 - 1716).