Asakusa Toshi no Ichi

Asakusa Toshi no Ichi(浅草歳の市:Asakusa Year-end Fair) was held on the grounds of Sensoji Temple(浅草寺) from December 17th to 19th.The fair has been famous since the Edo period. It is said that the fair started in 1659. New Year's decorations and kitchen utensils were sold at the fair.  It is said that the grounds were overflowing with people. Now the fair is famous as a battledore fair. One side of the hagoita(battledore) is decorated with a padded cloth picture of characters from Kabuki dramas.

Hanetsuki(羽根突き) is a traditional New Year's game similar to badminton. It is played with a wooden battledore and a hard black seed to which feathers have been attached like a shuttlecock. Some people say it came from a Chinese play, but there are several possible origins of it.

Hanetsuki first appeared in a book "Kanmon-gyoki(看聞御記)" in 1432. A book published in 1444 says Hagoita was used at New Year's.Hagoita was also called Kogiita(胡鬼板).
Some people say Kogi(胡鬼) meant a dragonfly in ancient China, a ball with feathers looks like a mosquito and dragonflies prey on mosquitos that carry diseases, so Hanetsuki was held to wish to protect children from mosquito bites at New Year's.

Some say that Tsukubane(衝羽根:Buckleya lanceolata) was used as a shuttlecock in the Muromachi Period(1338-1573) and it was called Kogi.

The seed of soapberry(無患子, mukuroji) was used as the ball of a shuttlecock, because mukuroji means children who stay free of disease.

Hagoita portraying Sagicho(左義長), which is one of the New Year holiday events, were used as a gift or a wedding gift by aristocrats.

Hanetsuki became popular around the end of around the end of the seventeenth century and hagoita were sold as a toy for New Year's Holidays at year-end fairs.

In the late Edo period, hagoita decorated with a padded cloth picture became very popular.

On the first New Year's Day of a girl, people presented hagoita to her parents to drive away evil spirits .

羽子板・揚巻 デザイン:弓岡勝美
"Hagoita Agemaki" designed by Katsumi Yumioka.

Agemaki is a courtesan and appears as the lover of Sukeroku(助六) in a Kabuki play named Sukeroku Yukari no Edozakura(助六由縁江戸桜), one of the Ichikawa family's repertoire comprising 18 classical Kabuki pieces(歌舞伎十八番).

Katsumi Yumioka, Chirmen no Oshie to Tsuribina to Temari (Tokyo:NIHON VOGUE-SHA.Co,Ltd.,2002),P.57.
弓岡勝美著,ちりめんの押絵とつり雛と手まり(東京:日本ヴォーグ社,2002年),p57.

wedding season

Koharu-biyori(小春日和, Indian summer day) continued for some days. Koharu(小春) is an another name for the 10th month in the lunar calendar(corresponding to November in the solar calendar).

In Japan, many couples have their weddings in October, November, March and May. June is in the rainy season, so it's thought to be unsuitable for wedding.

People avoided to get married in the 10th month in the lunar calendar due to the absence of the Japanese gods in the Edo Period, .

In the Edo Period, few commoners had their weddings.　The weddings of the warrior class were done in the bridegroom's house from early evening until night.

Most marriage ceremonies have been conducted in Shinto shrines since the Meiji Period.

Today, many couples choose Christian-style weddings, although most of them are non-Christians.

Nezumi no Yomeiri(ねずみの嫁入り: A Spouse For a Mouse, The Mouse Bride)

Mie Kuwahara, "Oshi-e no Gaku-e" in the November issue of Oshare-Koubou(Tokyo:Japan Broadcast Publishing Co.,Ltd., 1995),p.24.
桑原実絵,"押し絵の額絵", おしゃれ工房11月号(東京:日本出版放送協会, 1995),p.24.

This is a folktale about mice finding a husband for the daughter.　Eventually, he marries off his daughter to the next door mouse.

This is made with a handicraft technique named Oshi-e(押し絵:padded cloth picture). By using this technique, we can put fabric scraps　to good use.

In Shinto-style wedding, a bride wears a pure white kimono named Shiromuku(白無垢) and a silk floss headdress named Wataboushi(綿帽子) at the ceremony according to Shinto rites, and she changes into a colorful kimono named Iro-uchikake(色打掛) and a headdress named Tsunokakushi(角隠し) during the wedding reception.
Uchikake is a women's bridal robe with trailing skirts worn over a kimono, and its hem is stuffed with cotton. Upper-class ladies used to wear it. Tsunokakushi literally means a headdress to veil bride's horns.

A groom wears a short coat for formal kimono named Haori(羽織) marked with a family crest and man's formal divided skirt named Hakama(袴).

bridesmaid(介添人, kaizoenin)

Elderly women take the role.













Hourai-san(蓬莱山, Mount Penglai)
According to Chinese legend, Hourai-san is the mountain where a mountain hermit lives.Hourai-san is a big monju(buns filled with sweat bean paste) with a weight of 1 kg and contains some small monju.　It is also known as Komochi-manju(manju with children), so it's served in celebrations like weddings.

Yomogashima(蓬が嶋) sold at Toraya(虎屋) is the same confection as this. According to Toraya's records, the retired Emperor Koukaku(光格上皇, 1771-1840) bestowed Yomogashima on Mizuno Tadakuni(水野忠邦, 1794～1851). The Yomogashima contained 50 small manju.　
According to Toraya's records of the late Edo period, the confection contained 20 small manju.

Now several confectionery shops sell this contection only by subscription. Toraya's Yomogashima contains five or seven small manju.

Jugoya(full moon night)

It's very hot today. Temperatures have reached 33 degrees Celsius in Yokohama and have reached over 35 degrees Celsius in several areas.

Jugoya(十五夜) means the night or the moon on the 15th day of the 8th month in the lunar calendar(corresponding to September 22nd of this year in the Gregorian calendar).
We can see clear full moon tonight. Jupiter is near the moon.

Moon Viewing on this day derives from the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, but we celebrate another moon viewing named Jusanya(十三夜) on the the 13th day of the 9th month in the lunar calendar. The event is unique to Japan and is also called Mame-meigetsu(豆名月, bean harvest moon）or Kuri-meigetsu(栗名月, chestnut harvest moon).

Jugoya is also called Imomeigetsu (芋名月) or "Potato harvest moon", so these confections contain potatoes.

Potato Manju(ぽてと饅頭):

confection using potato

Oimosan(おいもさん):

confection using sweet potato

Usagi Manju(うさぎ饅頭: rabbit-shaped steamed buns filled with bean paste)

"Where do rabbits live, earth, moon or sun?"
A guest had to answer the question within five seconds on a TV quiz program.  He said, "Moon!"
Of course, answer to the quiz is earth, but rabbits are strongly connected to the moon in Japan. We see rabbit pounding steamed rice on the moon surface.

It comes from an Indian mythology. A rabbit without having a specialty was not able to do good for an old man, so it gave the meat of itself to him by drowning itself into the fire. The old man was Taishakuten (帝釈天, Śakra in Sanskrit), and he placed the charred rabbit on the moon surface.

ハートシリーズ　デザイン・制作/石津喜代子
"heart Series" designed by Kiyoko Ishizu

Full moon, Japanese pampas grass and Tsukimi Dango

Nobuaki Seto(ed), Oheya ni Kazaru Wafu no Mini quilt(Tokyo:Nihon Vogue-sha,1994),P.50.
瀬戸信昭編集,お部屋に飾る和布のミニキルト(東京:日本ヴォーグ社,1996年),P.50.

抱き薄
Daki Susuki (Japanese pampas grass )

対い兎
Mukai Usagi




下中菜穂,「切り紙　もんきり遊び」,株式会社宝島社,2007年,P.7,12
Nabo Shimonaka, Kirigami Monkiri-asobi,(Tokyo:TAKARAJIMASHA,Inc.,2007),P.7,12

MIYAKO ODORI and Azuma Odori

Few people have been entertained by geiko(it's called geisha in Kanto region) or maiko(apprentice geiko) at ochaya, which literally means a tea house but it is actually a traditional restaurant, in Kyoto.

Although some ochaya provide an opportunity for ordinary people to be entertained at ochaya, most ochaya are like an exclusive club and anyone needs an introduction from a club member to gain admittance into them.

However, we have an opportunity to see many geiko and maiko once a year. It's a spring dance performance called MIYAKO ODORI, which is also known as the Cherry Dance and features all the geiko and maiko in Gion, Kyoto. It started after the capital was moved to Tokyo to liven up Kyoto.

It's being held in Gion from April 1st to the 30th. Their performances were given for an hour four times a day and the admission is between 4,000 and 2,000 yen. You can make a reservation by phone or fax for reservations. The official site of MIYAKO ODORI presents information in English and Japanese.




舞妓さん デザイン:弓岡勝美
"MAIKOSAN" designed by Katsumi Yumioka.

An apprentice geisha is called hangyoku(半玉) in Kanto region, but maiko(舞妓) and hangyoku differ from each other in appearance and many ways. Similarly, geiko(芸妓) and geisha(芸者) are different. Only maiko leaves a trail of obi(sash).


Katsumi Yumioka, Colors of Japanese Spirits (Tokyo:NIHON VOGUE-SHA.Co,Ltd.,2005),P.44.
弓岡勝美著,日本の心の色100(東京:日本ヴォーグ社,2005年),p44.


Maiko wear a hair ornament called hana kanzashi(花簪) in her hair. The ornament is created by a technique known as tsumami(つまみ). A square of silk is repeated twice to be fold in half diagonally, is shaped into a petal and is attached to backings on the base of kanzashi.

Maiko and hangyoku wear hana kanzashi in their hairs, but geiko and geisha don't it. Girls used to wear it at the Shichi-go-san festival, which is the event to celebrate children's growth and pray for their future good health.

Maiko wear different hana kanzashi every month. Its motif is associated with each month such as cherry blossoms in April, wisteria or iris in May.


an original work using tsumami.



In rivalry with the Miyako Odori, geisha in Shimbashi of Tokyo started the dance performance called the Azuma Odori(東をどり) which is being held in The Shinbashi Enbujō (新橋演舞場) from April 26th to the 29th. Their performances were given for an hour and a half three times a day and the admission is between 7,500 and 2,000 yen. you can buy its ticket via the Internet or by phone, but advance tickets are sold out this year.


Azuma manju(東饅頭):
This is a baked confection topped with pieces of walnuts and was given out as a souvenir when the Azuma Odori was premiered.

Hatsu-uma

It's snowing in Yokohama. In recent years, we has had light snowfall here.





It is said that the god of grain, agriculture, trade and manufacture came down to Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社 :the head shrine of Inari in Fushimi) in Kyoto on the first horse's day(初午: hatsu-uma) of February in 711 in the lunar calender. Nowadays the Inari shrine rituals are practiced at Fushimi Inari Taisha and its sub-shrines throughout Japan on that day in the solar calender.　

Foxes are regarded as the messengers of the god. You can see a pair of stone-carved foxes like this in Inari shrines. Some people offer foxes' favorite, deep-fried bean curd, to the god. So udon (a type of thick wheat-flour noodle) topped with deep-fried bean curd is called "Kitsune(Fox) udon".

押し絵の絵馬ーデザイン/桑原実絵
"Oshie-no-Ema" designed by Mie Kuwabara

Mie Kuwabara, Chirimen-de-Tsukuru-Saikumono-to-Oshie,(Tokyo:Ondori-sha,1999),P.34.
桑原実絵・浜肇子・要海三枝子著,ちりめんで作る細工ものと押し絵(東京:雄鶏社,1999年),p34.