Japanese traditional arts shop "Mieko Japan"(Yuzen, Washi)大山民芸店

Small Wrapping Cloth “Ukibune (floating boat)”

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:13:48 +0000

Koburoshiki, Wrapping Cloth “Ginkgo and Pine leaves”

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:11:08 +0000

Display Ornament of Folder Fan “Citrus Tachibana”

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:08:01 +0000

Citrus Tachibana: Because Tachibana is an evergreen plant, the people in days of old thought of it and other pine plants as “everlasting”. In the old book, “Records of Ancient Matters”, the plants were introduced as a miraculous medicine empowered with eternal youth and immortality.
Cherry flower: The flower has been popular in Japanese people for a very long time. Every April, at the time of cherry blossoming, many people enjoy the full blossom of cherry trees. The flower is also printed on the 100-coin back, and used as each classifying badges for police officers and self defense force officials, all of which with the Japanese spirit of the samurai.

Display of “Girls’ Festival Dolls”

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:05:13 +0000

“Hina” dolls: This event dates back to the Heian period (794 – 1185), when imperial aristocrats started to play with dolls. It is said that this evolved into the current style of the doll festival in the Edo period (1603 – 1868). It is said that the dolls may substitute for a family’s girl and take away bad luck or sprits for them. Every family with a girl celebrates their happiness and health on March third of every year.

Noren Goodwill “Balloon Flower”

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:02:46 +0000

Balloon flowers are known as one of seven autumn plants, noted in “Manyoshu”, The Anthology of Myriad (Ten Thousand) Leaves. The shape of the flower was popular among feudal soldiers and used as a family crest in the ancient times. In the Edo period, the kikyo-no-ma room (a room of balloon flower) and the kikyo-mon (the gate of balloon flower) were constructed in the Edo castle.
Recently, they are not grown in the natural habitats, but are artificially cultured.

Noren Goodwill “Hoozuki (Chinese lantern plant)”

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:00:11 +0000

The Hoozuki market is held in Asakusa temple in the Daitou Ward, Tokyo, every July. It is very crowded with people visiting the temple.

Tapestry “Tabane Noshi (a bundle of thin strips of paper attached on auspicious gifts)”

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:56:45 +0000

Tabane-noshi is on the drawn pattern for congratulatory occasions, with cool and brilliant atmosphere.
Every part of patterns is delicately and gorgeously depicted.

Tapestry “Yamaboushi (Kousa Dogwood)”

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:53:18 +0000

In the language of flowers, Yamaboushi (Kousa dogwood) means “friendship”. The flowers are often used as a congratulatory gift or as a means of decoration at home. A Yamaboushi decorated room is perfect for a party or as a present to your precious friend!

Tapestry “Fringed Orchid”

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:49:48 +0000

In the language of flowers, the fringed orchid means “dreaming of you”. The fringed orchid is designated as the ward flower in Setagaya ward of Tokyo, where an orchid blossom festival is held every year, attracting a number of people. They are now not grown in natural habitats, but cultured artificially, so they are among the most precious of endangered species.

Tapestry “Cyclamen”

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:44:45 +0000

Cyclamen is popular as a gardening plant. When the song of “Shikuramen no kaori, (fragrance of cyclamens)” sung by a pop singer, Akira Fuse, became a big hit in 1975, the people’s attention was drawn to the flower’s flagrance. Afterwards, the aromatic cyclamen was developed for the first time in the agricultural research center of Saitama Prefecture in 1996.

Tapestry “Freesia”

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:42:28 +0000

Freesia: The freesia blossom festival is held on Hachijojima island in Japan, from the late March to early April of every year. There have not only fields to pick a bunch of flowers, bulbs, and shops for selling special local items, but also a drawing convention, so a lot of people are attracted to the island yearly.

Tapestry “A frosty night (Christmas rose)”

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:38:23 +0000

Frost night: frosty cold night with clear sky
A term often used in the “Hyakunin-isshu” anthology.
Hyakunin-isshu is an anthology of one hundred waka poems composed by one hundred noticeable poets.

A poem of autumn brevity composed by Gokyougoku-sessho, Sakino Dajo-daijin (one of ancient prime ministers)
“Kirigirisu nakuya shimoyono samushironi, (Kirigirisu chirps on such a frosty cold night)
koromo katashiki hitori kamonemu.” (my sleeping bed is my own sleeve)
Meaning: What a lonely person I am to sleep on part of my own clothes spread on the straw mat, in such a cold, quiet night just with crickets chirping.

Tapestry “Rabbits and Sho-Chiku-Bai (pine, bamboo and plum)”

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:25:15 +0000

Pine (Sho)
As pine trees are resistant to cold weather and maintain their green leaves all around the year, they were said to be a “Tree of God” in the ancient Japan.
Pine trees were used as a means for showing deep respect to gain blessings of God on happy and congratulatory occasions.
Bamboo (Chiku)
Bamboo grows straight upward and has joints which are resistant to and never broken in the hard wind. As such, bamboo was used during celebrations and congratulatory times for blessing of safety and peace in important stages of life, as well as steadfastness in times of hardships or sufferings.
Plum (Bai)
The buds on plum trees persists in growth during the cold winter. As such, people use plum trees as congratulatory items to wish for blooming growth in life in spite of hardships.
In Japan, these three congratulatory items are called as Sho-Chiku-Bai and are used to signify the best of fortunes.