Discover Top Posts Tagged with #subtle beauty

Discover the subtle beauty of a ghost plant nestled among the lush greens of a high mountain forest floor. It's a delicate gem hidden away in nature's vast treasure chest.

#ghost plant #mountain forest #nature photography #subtle beauty #hidden gems #forest floor #plant lovers #nature's treasure #greenery #lush nature #delicate plant #high mountain flora #woodland wonders #natural beauty #mysterious nature

If you don't know how to stop and smell the roses, you'll never see how beautiful Nebraska is.

Go to Facebook and dig up the group "Nebraska Through the Lens".

#nebraska #great plains #subtle beauty #scenery #birdsonearth #sunsets #Nebraska Through the Lens

What’s In a Book? Part 32

On The Eighth Day of Fun I present... another book review! This one arrived much faster than I thought it would, so there’s no time like the present than to review it!

Image’s cover courtesy of Amazon Japan. Kaya 花也: Subtle Beauty by Kazuhiko Matsumura (松村和彦) (ISBN 978-4-7638-0675-8) Date of Publication: 2014 Language: Japanese and English Format: Softcover Availability: Fairly Easy To Obtain Price: $20 Errors: 0 This is a book that’s been recommended to me now for years by multiple people, and I can finally say that I just went ahead and purchased it. Yes, they were all right in that this book is fantastic! To begin with, it’s in full Japanese and English, so you don’t need to know a word of Japanese in order to understand any of it. There’s even an index in the back that describes each image in book too, so nothing is lost in translation! What makes it interesting though is its layout that melds its original purpose as a photo essay for the Kyoto Shimbun and then expands on it even further with wonderful stories on some of the women of the karyukai. The book begins with the spotlight on two different women who are currently in their maiko stages. We first start with “Living In a Dream” that showcases shikomi/minarai/maiko Umechie (梅ちえ) and her okasan Yoshie Nakaji, former geiko Umeno (梅乃), in Kamishichiken, who laments about what it was like growing up for her in the karyukai and wonders if her methods are too strict for modern girls. From there the book adds images without any captions to show various scenes of life in the karyukai, from maiko cleaning their okiya to backstage prep for the Miyako Odori to ozashiki games. The second person featured is maiko/geiko Fukuhiro (ふく紘) in Miyagawa Cho during her sakkō period under the title “The Season of Transition.” Like many maiko Fukuhiro had serious doubts about whether she wanted to become a geiko or not, but as we can see life seems to have worked out well for her as she’s grown into a successful geiko who’s boasted five imōto so far! After more images, including photos of real life sisters Fukuteru (ふく光) and Fukuai (ふく愛) of Miyagawa Cho, we get to know more about the women at the heart of the karyukai: the natori geiko who keep the karyukai alive. “Looking Up At The Moon” speaks with Mamechizu (豆千鶴) of Gion Kobu about the opening of her bar Kōki (光貴) and the loss of a close friend who decided to leave the karyukai to get married (the book doesn’t specifically say who, but there are images of said person featured in the book for those who are curious). Next is “My Mother’s Way and My Way” with Masami (満彩美) in Gion Higashi. She speaks about how she was born into the karyukai as the daughter of a geiko, her rebellious teenager phase in which she cut her hair so that she could not become a maiko, to then growing her singing career in Tokyo. Eventually she decided to come back to Kyoto to become a geiko like her mother always wanted her to be and she still maintains her singing career to this day. After that comes “The Entertainer” with one of the most legendary women to ever grace the Kyoto gokagai: Katsukiyo (勝喜代) of Kamishichiken. Even though she was 84 at the time of the initial interview in 2012 she was still a practicing geiko who attended ozashiki nightly and performed the lead role in both the Kitano Odori and Kotobuki Kai each year. Problems with her heart slowed her down slightly, but she was always up for some fun and knew the best jokes around. Sadly she passed away in January 2016. Finally, we have “Life With a Bamboo Flute” with the extraordinarily talented Ichihiro (市宏) of Pontocho. She was a master of the fue and a jikata geiko for over half a century before she retired around 2016. She speaks of how the songs that she plays on the fue represent life in their ups and downs. From there we have a few more images before the image index and a final word from the author. Overall it’s a beautiful look into the karyukai that plays out just like Ichihiro’s flute playing: both the ups and the downs of life in the karyukai is shown without filter and is fantastic just for the images alone. The interviews lend a personal side to each of the women who all come from different backgrounds yet have chosen the same profession. It’s an excellent investment for the relatively low price of $20 and a book that you will treasure! Rating: ✪✪✪✪✪ (out of 5)