#kadomatsu

[gon-iii]

静かな新年の門出

2022年、ご近所。

立派な門松があったので思わず激写。

[kojiarakiartworks]

February JAPAN HOKKAIDO SAPPORO

© KOJI ARAKI Art Works

Daily life and every small thing is the gate to the universe ：）

[atmeal012]

[bebetaian]

Private Collection: Green Bishamon Kikkou Komon

I dressed this one two ways. The base colours are pretty versatile, actually, especially now that I have more accessories which can change the look of the outfit dramatically.

If I get to wear kimono more in the next few years, I'd like to wear this one again. It's been harder to have the compression on the abdomen required for proper kimono wearing. The Showa-era komon is in such excellent condition. The sleeves are shorter than I'm used to, but I prefer pre-war kimono. The sleeves are getting too long for my age, maybe, but these still feel so short. Very typical for Showa and later, though.

The fabric is shiny but not quite satin-texture. It can't tell if it's silk or a very good synthetic. The lining is fully synthetic. The woven pattern is Bishamon-kikkou, Bishamon tortoiseshell, which is almost invisible under the dyed pattern (I'm not sure what flowers these are.) Basically you can only see it up-close, with the fabric in hand. The difference in textures is barely there.

Wrist to wrist: 49.75in / 126.5cm Sleeve length: 18.5in / 47cm Neck to hem: 61.5in / 156cm Body width: 24in / 60.5

Hiro-eri, one snap. As usual, divided on having a metal snap when metal degrades or pulls at the fabric in such a way that can ruin it.

The obi is very short. I couldn't wear this when I was 6 sizes smaller, several inches in the waist and hips. I never had the heart to cut it. I'd probably have to extend it by at least 3 feet. I fell in love with the pattern a long time ago, well over a decade ago, and I still love it.

It reminds me of Medieval and Renaissance tapestries. Not much before that, the early 2000s, kimono advertisements were for a line of Disney furisode. Of course, the Sleeping Beauty one was absolutely gorgeous. I've never even been a fan of Disney much, just that particular art style and that particular movie. Now that I'm older I feel like the original pioneer of this "whimsical medieval dark academia-core" style.

The obi looks like it's several shades of gold, purple, orange, etc. but actually it's shades of tan, paprika red (like the flowers in the komon), and black. The reverse side is paprika-dominant.

Because it's SO short, I had to "cheat" a lot. Strong binder clips, very short tare, tying the otaiko section is 'thin.' But I think it still came out very well.

The musubi resembles Eris a bit, with her lil pointy ears close together on her fuzzy head. Much of Japanese seasonal symbolism and weaving techniques originated in China. There's a cute New Year's greeting, 年年有馀 (Nián nián yǒu yú) which sounds like "nyan-nyan." A super-short tare and a cat musubi made perfect sense.

The bamboo leaf obiage has tiny plum blossoms on it. The white outlines of the pattern also mimics the white outlines of the komon pattern. It looks perfect with this outfit. the pale/dark purple obijime work together to pull colours from that kadomatsu photo from hyossie on flickr.

The juban is the silk chrysanthemum one I've had up on my Ebay listings. I'm limited to so many free listings a month though, so I'm rotating how much I relist and when, based on things like views and watchers. <3

[heart-star]

Happy new year! 🎆🎊

[tenjin-no-shinja]

Kadomatsu Making

So I made my own Kadomatsu 🎍門松🎍, which is a common decoration during the New Year, to welcome in Toshigami-sama. They're placed in pairs representing male and female at the front doors to homes and businesses. The 3 main motifs are bamboo, pine, and plum blossoms which represent prosperity, longevity, and steadfastness.

I made mine out of cardboard. I forgot to mirror the bamboo parts so I decided to make the plum branches the mirrored element instead.

See the progress pictures below the cut

[my-plastic-life]

Ready for the New Year God to arrive! Kiku has her shimekazari, kadomatsu, and shimenawa in place!

The shimekazari is a twisted rope consisting of rice straw (shimenawa), zig-zag paper (shide), pine leaves (symbolizing prosperity), and a bitter orange (a symbol of posterity). This ornament is hung on or above a door to ward off bad luck and evil spirits as well as welcome the gods of good luck.

The kadomatsu (pine gate) always come in pairs and are placed at the gate or door of a house, temple, or business. They are an invitation for the New Year God (toshigami) to come down from the sky. The kadomatsu are meant to provide temporary housing for the god. Designs for kadomatsu vary depending on region but are typically made of pine, bamboo, and sometimes plum tree sprigs which represent longevity, prosperity, and steadfastness.

There is also a shimenawa (sacred rope) hanging above the balcony to help ward off evil spirits. All of these little decorations are 100% handmade by me! And each year, I tend to improve them. :D

Shimekazari (top ornament) and shimenawa (rope):

Kadomatsu:

[mityfresh]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!