Meoto Fuufu and Enmusubi

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Meoto Daruma and Takasago - 高砂
Daruma and a Happy Couple
fuufu Daruma 夫婦だるま

The Takasago Legend 高砂伝説
This legend is one of the oldest in Japanese mythology. An old couple - his name is Joo (尉) and hers is Uba (媼) known together as Jotomba - are said to appear from the mist at Lake Takasago. The old man and his wife are usually portrayed talking happily together with a pine tree in the background. Signifying, as they do, a couple living in perfect harmony until they grow old together, they have long been a symbol of the happiness of family life. The story is portrayed in a famous Noo play "Takasago no Uta":

At Takasago Shrine there is a very old pine tree, the trunk of which is bifurcated (相生の松); in it dwells the spirit of the Maiden of Takasago who was seen once by the son of Izanagi who fell in love and wedded her. Both lived to a very great age, dying at the same hour on the same day, and since then their spirits abide in the tree, but on moonlight nights they return to human shape to revisit the scene of their earthly felicity and pursue their work of gathering pine needles.

His pine tree is also called "The Pine of Sumi-no-e" (住吉の松) and hers is the Takasago pine (高砂の松). The old woman is using a broom to sweep away trouble and he carries a rake to rake in good fortune. In Japanese this is also a play of words with "One Hundred Years" (haku > sweeping the floor) and "until 99 years" (kujuku made > kumade, meaning a rake).

In Japan, at wedding ceremonies, the Takasago song is recited and Takasago figures are put on a special "Island Shelf" called called Shimadai (島台) together with auspicious Pine-Bamboo-Plum and Crane with Turtle decorations placed in the wedding room and presented to the bridal couple. Depictions of the Takasago figures can be made from lacquer, ceramics, wood carvings and textiles and are to invoke a long and fruitful married life for the newlyweds. These figurines are also given as presents for a wedding aniversary of 25 or 50 or more years. For the diamond wedding aniversary of 60 years, some communities also give Takasago Dolls to the happy couple.

Takasago city is located in Hyogo prefecture in Western Japan. It is situated on the Seto Inland Sea approximately 40 kilometers west of Kobe. The settlement that became Takasago city was established on the delta at the mouth of the Kako River. This river formation gave rise to the name of "taka" "sago" which literally means "high" "sand", a reference to the vast amounts of sand deposited at the mouth of the Kako River.

Takasago is well known as the birthplace of classical song "Yookyoku Takasago", which is a famous wedding song throughout Japan, and thus the town was declared as "The Bridal City Takasago" in 1988.



Takasago Shrine 高砂神社
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

According to the shrine's legend, when the Empress Jinguu returned in triumph from Korea, her ship stopped at Takasago port. She built a large shrine to maintain control of the country. Keep reading more about this old legend on the following HP.
神功皇后が韓国から戻ったとき、船が高砂に着いたといわれています。


. Jingu Kogo 神功皇后 and Japanese Dolls .

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Text of the famous Wedding Song Takasago 高砂や

高砂や、この浦舟に帆をあげて、この浦舟に帆をあげて、月もろともに出で潮の、波の淡路の島影や、遠く鳴尾の沖過ぎて、
はや住の江に着きにけり、
はや住の江に着きにけり。

Takasago Bay!
Raising the sail on this cable,
together with the moonrise, the rising tide.
See, the reflection of Awaji Island
bove the waves far past the offing at Naruo.
We have reached Sumi-no-e, already.
We have reached Sumi-no-e, already!


The Noo Play of Takasago 能の高砂
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

You find a full translation of the Noo Play (Noh Play) "Takasago" on the following HP.
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/noh/TylTaka.html


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Collection Gabi Greve

Takasago Dolls -
as children, with masks of the old couple

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誰をかも知る人にせむ高砂の
松もむかしの友ならなくに

Tare o ka mo Shiru hito ni sen Takasago no
Matsu mo mukashi no Tomo nara naku ni

Who is still alive
When I have grown so old
That I can call my friends?
Even Takasago's pines
No longer offer comfort.

34 - Fujiwara no Okikaze 藤原興風

. Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Poems 小倉百人一首 .


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Takasago Dolls 高砂人形 Takasago Ningyoo

These figurines are usually a present for a wedding or wedding anniversary, as we have stated above. They are very carefully made and quite expensive, as suits the occasion. Usually the old man is placed on the left and the old lady on the right, as you face them. This is the traditional position for a pair at a wedding of the nobility. But lately at weddings the bride stands on the right side. Maybe this is a copy of the position of the Royal English Couple? Since olden times, the seat on the right has been the "Elevated Seat" (kamiza 上座) for the most noble person in the room. So maybe the position of the bride has changed in this way? We may only wonder who is the most important person at a wedding.

The groom says: "You will live until one hundred (haku made>using the broom), I will live until ninety nine (kujuku made>kumade>using the rake), together we will live happily until our hair turns white!"

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Takasago Dolls belong to the group of "Storytelling Dolls", depicting scenes of famous stories, actors, dancers or "tableaux" from familiar tales, often Noo plays.


Takasago Dolls of the Nara type -
Nara Ningyoo 奈良人形
Nara Dolls typically represent Noo actors. Small wooden Noo figures painted in vivid colours were first used to decorate the hats of priests and musicians at the Kasuga Shrine festival in Nara. Other well known subjects are represented by Nara dolls, such as Jo and Uba, the happy old couple of Takasago.

Trees growing close together or two stems from one trunk are also called "meoto".
Meoto sugi 夫婦杉 pines growing like a couple
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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By chance I found a surprising Daruma item related to Takasago while writing this story.


Click on the photo to see the single figure.

At first it looks like some standing decoration figure, but as you might remember from the story about Sake pourers (Tokkuri) that the head comes off to become a little sake cup. This one is more wonderous. The head with the headband comes off and woo, there is a ladie's head beneath it. That one comes off too to bring you two cups for a happy couple.
Inside the head of Mr. Daruma we read:
"I will live until ninety-nine!" and
inside the head of Mrs. Daruma we read:
"I will live until one hundred!",
reminding us of the Takasago story and the hope that the wife will live just one year longer than her husband. The little tokkuri is just 11 cm high and nicely rounded to fit in a small hand.


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source :　kyoudogangu.xii.jp

Monkeys as the Takasago couple 高砂（申）
clay dolls from Nagoya


. Regional Folk Toys from Japan .


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Meoto Daruma 夫婦だるま　Mr. And Mrs. Daruma



MEOTO can also be read FUUFU and a memorial day for happy couples is the second day of the second month, 2月2日、since FU means TWO. Some hotels and restaurants also give special reductions for couples on the 22 of any month.
And if you blow on a hot soup in Japanese, your sound is: Fuu Fuu.





You buy them as a pair and keep them to remind you of the endurance and perseverance it takes to make a marriage sucessfull. They are sold at special temples and shrines dedicated to finding and keeping a partner for life. In some areas, dolls of the Daruma Couple are burned on the last day of the New Years festiviteis. Look at more pictures of this festival on January 14th.






I already introduced a nice couple in the story of Wakasa Laquer.
Wakasa Daruma ― 若狭　だるま Laquer and achate stone


A Daruma Couple is from the Great Shrine at Miwa.
In the large compounds of this shrine there is a sacred stone formation like a loving couple (meoto-iwa 夫婦岩)、and the gate leading to this stones is called "Gate of bringing together a loving couple" (enmusubi no torii 縁結びの鳥居). Our Daruma seems to be growing a beard, since his chin is colored in light gray. They are both made of papermachee, about 4 cm high and come in a little box.

You can learn more about this wonderful shrine and the legends of this old site on the following HP.
http://www.oomiwa.or.jp/eng.html


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A couple within a couple of kokeshi dolls




and some manekineko cat with a Daruma couple



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Next we have a couple from Arima Hot Spring near Kobe City.
Legend has it that the Arima Hot Spring was discovered by the ancient gods and that it was inherited from an era of myths and legends. The Arima Hot Spring is the oldest hot spring in Japan and the name of the Hot Spring itself dates back to at least the Man-yoohshuu, the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry.
The Daruma couple is made of wood and they are standing in front of a folding screen like at a wedding reception. They are about 2 cm high, the screen is 5 cm. Mr. Daruma's belly is painted in white lines, hers in red.
http://www.arima-onsen.com/
http://www.kinzan.co.jp/


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Once a merchant had hung up the Takasago figures at the top of his entrance. It was a prosperous sweet shop.
Then the house and shop moved, but the Takasago figures did not like it at all, so they had to be left at the entrance.


In Aomori a girl left her family home to become a bride and live with her husband and an old couple who looked just like the Takasago elders. When the bull turned back, after the girl had descended to go inside, in his footsteps delicious Sake begun to sprinkle over the road. The girl has first thought to open a Sake making shop but now she turned it into a Sake drinking pub.
The husband eventually divorced his wife, but the shop came into decline soon after that.

- source : nichibun yokai database -

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Enmusubi and more Happy Couples 　
縁結びだるま

If you are still looking for a good spouse, then you must pray to find a partner for life (enmusubi 縁結び). There are many shrines and temples in Japan specializing in this field of human activities and our Daruma sometimes comes as a go-between.



koimusubi 恋むすび　binding together in love
with a little fragrance bag (nioibukuro) to go!


There are lot of amulets and talismans for all kinds of problems in life. One of them is the "Enmusubi Daruma", which often comes as two little plastic Darumas with a little bell each. This one was purchased at Tsuruga Castle in Aizu Wakamatsu.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


There are some shrines in Japan, dedicated to happy couples.
Here are just a few samples.


from . Shrine Akama Jingu 赤間神宮 .


fuufu wago 夫婦和合　for a harmonious couple
fuufu omamori 夫婦守り happy couple amulet
ryooen jooju 良縁成就 to keep a good match

The Waka Poet
. Kakinomoto Hitomaro 柿本人麻呂 Hitomaru 人丸 / 人麿 .
is venerated as a Deity for Good Couples at
Hitomaru Jinja 人丸神社
in the compound of Ikuta Shrine 生田神社 .
兵庫県神戸市中央区下山手通1-2-1 Kobe



. wagoojin 和合神 Wago-Jin - Deity of conjugal harmony .
葛飾北斎 Hokusai - 萬福和合神 Manpuku Wago-Jin

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Shinzan Jinja 新山神社（夫婦神社）
夫婦松 Pine for a couple
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Saifuku Meoto Jinja 齎福夫婦神社

Meoto Jinja in Osaka 大阪の夫婦神社

Meoto-Matsu at Akiba Jinja
Kasukabe no meoto matsu 春日部の夫婦松
Meoto-matsu, the married pine tree, is truly a natural wonder. A pine tree and maidenhair tree grow from a single trunk, branching out separately about a meter above ground. Meoto-Matsu was the sacred tree of Akiba-jinja Shrine.


. Izumo Taisha 出雲大社 Izumo Grand Shrine .
and the powerful enmusubi amulet


. Fushimi Inari Fox Shrine 伏見稲荷大社 .
Kyoto

. Hikawa Jinja 氷川神社 Saitama .

. Kifune Shrine 貴船神社 Kibune in Kurama .
Kyoto
むすび守袋型 Musubi bag form
むすび守文型 Musubi letter form


. . . . . and
. enkiri 縁切り　to cut the bonds with someone .



akuen kiri omamori 悪縁切御守 to cut bad partnership


. Wara ningyoo 藁人形 straw dolls for curses .

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八百万の縁結び
六所神社 Rokusho Jinja - Tottori

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CLICK for more photos !

縁結び不動明王 Enmusubi Fudo Myo-O
near Joojuu-in 成就院 Joju-In, Jojuin Kamakura
- reference -



. Fudō Myō-ō, Fudoo Myoo-Oo 不動明王 Fudo Myo-O
Acala Vidyârâja - Vidyaraja - Fudo Myoo .

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Doll for a Lucky Couple Fukumusubi no Ningyoo
福結びの人形

In the collection of old Japanese legends, Koojiki, we read the story of Emperor Nintoku who fell in love with a fair princess of the Kibi area (present day Okayama prefecture) and came all the way by ship from Kyoto to meet her. Remembering this sweet love we have a papermachee doll of one body with two faces.
You can buy one at Okayama station or other famous tourist places in the prefecture. If you get one you have to write your own name and the name of your beloved on two slips of paper, make a longlasting knot of the slips and hide them inside the doll while wishing for a happy future for the both of you. That should do the trick!




Here is one more special pair designed as ONE Daruma Doll with two faces. The producer, Mr. Nisaburo Yamashita had so many customers who wanted a male and female Daruma、 he decided to make it easier for them to buy just ONE doll.
両面だるま 　　山下仁三郎作
男達磨と女達磨


. Folk Toys from Okayama .

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Some Daruma Families だるま家族
Let us look at some happy Daruma families too, while we are at this subject.



Here is a group of Father, Mother and Child from Kibitsu Shrine, in the same area of Okayama prefecture as we have talked about above. They are made of clay (tsuchiningyoo 土人形) and are about 3 cm high. Father Daruma has a round face with only a round spot in the middle. Baby Daruma has a white bottom and both mother and child have very simple facial features. All three of them have a very heavy and broad bottom part. They are sold as a talisman for finding a partner, keeping one and having children with him. This talisman had been out of making for a while, but now you can get the funny family again.

. Shrine Kibitsu Jinja 吉備津神社 .

. Mingei Kukkii　みんげいクッキー　Mingei Folk Art Cookies .
Kibitsu Jinja Daruma 吉備津神社　だるま

. Folk Toys from Okayama .


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Kiyomizuyaki pottery from Kyoto


. WASHOKU - Meoto Tablewear for a happy couple 　


. Hashi 福だるま夫婦箸 Chopsticks for a happy couple ! 　


. WASHOKU
enmusubi manjuu 縁結び饅頭 rice cakes 　
from Izumo Shrine, Shimane



Couple’s Day (fuufu no hi, Japan) February 2
a KIGO


Daruma Museum

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土産に買ふめをとまんじゆう初聖天
miyage ni kau meoto manjuu hatsu shooten

as a souvenir I buy
rice cakes for a good couple -
first Shoten ceremony

Sekido Takahiro 関戸高敬

Kankiten (Kangiten　歓喜天, also
Shooten　聖天;
Vinaayaka, Nandikeshvara, Ganesh)



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. Hanayome ningyoo　花嫁人形　 bride dolls .
and wedding dolls


. Regional Folk Toys from Japan .


Enmusubi amulets . . . click for enlargement !

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- #enmusubi #kibitsudaruma #wago #fuufu -
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Fude pen

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Pen 筆 Fude and Daruma

Fude Daruma 筆だるま
Daruma Fude だるま筆


Fude Daruma 筆だるま
Daruma with paintings of a pen on his belly


source : ichikawashop.com

This is a talisman doll for people to start making a career as calligraphers.



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Daruma Fude だるま筆　pen called "Daruma"



The pens with a big belly for fat letters are DARUMA.


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Kokeshi wooden dolls in the form of a pen




More kokeshi on a pen






Photos from my friend Ishino　　


. Kokeshi, Wooden Dolls こけし 　


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Daruma with a pen for a beard
kanban for a pen shop
Daruma Museum




. Kanban, Shop Signs, 看板 with Daruma


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- quote -
Kumano fude 熊筆 brushes from Kumano, Hiroshima
Kumano cho is the capital of brushes, and produces 80% of the brushes made in Japan for painting, writing and cosmetics. However, none of the materials used to make the brushes come from Kumano. In other words, natural hairs of sheep, horse, itachi wolf, or raccoon are all imported from North America and China. Materials for brush handles are either from Okayama and Shimane prefectures, or imported from Taiwan and Korea.

Kumano has an interesting history for this successful industry.
A long time ago, the farmers used to buy brushes and ink from Nara and sell them to the locals in order to earn extra income after harvesting rice. The Hiroshima local government encouraged this activity and Kumano began making brushes eventually as well. Later, Japanese calligraphy was introduced as a school subject, and the increased demand for brushes brought stability to the industry in Kumano.

It normally takes 70 steps to create one brush. It is a manual process. It is said to take at least 10 years to be able to handle animal hairs properly and proficiently. The price of brushes varies: for example, one for a calligraphy class goes for about 1000 yen ($10). On the other hand, one used by a professional makeup artist or calligraphy artist will cost anywhere between several tens of thousands and 300,000 yen ($3-400 to $3,000). When Japan’s women soccer champions for the World Cup in Germany received the People’s Honor Award from the Japanese government, a Kumano make-up brush was presented to each player as a special gift.

The tips of the hand-made brushes are naturally uneven, which produces a nice and delicate contact with paper or one’s face, helping to create a superb finish. Therefore, Kumano brushes are very popular among many world-renowned make-up artists.
- - - - - 5-17-1 Nakamizo Kumanocho Aki-gun Hiroshima-ken
- source : japan-brand.jnto.go.jp/crafts -


Kumano Fude Matsuri 筆まつり（ふでまつり）
brush festival
Hiroshima prefecture, Kumano Town 熊野町




Fude Kuyo　筆供養 "memorial service for brushes"

Kumano is the greatest producer of brushes in Japan, more than 80% are made here. On the yearly event more than 1000 used brushes from professional writers are burned in a memorial sercice at the shrine Kitano Tenjin sha.
There is a stone arrangement with the "brush burning flame of eternity" and a lot of brushes hang in the compound between the trees.
During the festival people use large brushes to write their favorite calligraphy and demonstrations are held.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


This kind of service is also held at other temples and Tenmangu shrines of Japan.
道明寺天満宮筆まつり

. Reference

In Kumano they celebrate
haru no fude no hi 春の筆の日 Day of the Brush in spring
day of the spring equinox



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. Hiroshima Prefecture Festivals 　

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ningyoofude, ningyoo fude 人形筆 pen dolls



from Airma onsen 有馬温泉 Arima hot spring

Arima is one of the oldest hot springs in Japan, even Hideyoshi used to come there.
The dolls also have a long history and are mentioned already in a travel book of 1682. There used to be five families producing them till the Taisho period, but now only one has remained.

The body of the pen is decorated with colorful silk thread in various patterns. Some of the patterns have auspicious meanings to ward off evil. Some patterns are suited as a present, for example for a wedding.



On the end of the bamboo shaft it a little doll, sometimes resembling a Daruma san, which pops out and seems to dance when using the pen for writing. When the pen is laid on the table, the doll disappears. This is a kind of "mechanical doll" (karakuri ningyoo).

. Folk Toys from Hyogo .



有馬には人形筆の初しぐれ　　
Arima ni wa ningyoo fude no hatsu shigure

at Arima
there is the first sleet　　
on the pen dolls　

Suzuki Isuzu 鈴木五鈴
source :　karasuyama


Arima fude 有馬筆 pens from Arima
komochi fude 子持ち筆 pens with a child




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The Dying Trade of Yamato

The Hankeidou Workshop (攀桂堂, Hankeidō)
Shiga prefecture (滋賀県).

The Hankeidou workshop is renowned for manufacturing traditional Japanese brushes, known generally as unpei fude (雲平筆), a tradition started by Fujino Unpei (藤野雲平) some 400 years ago during the Genna Era (元和年間, 1615 – 1624).

source : beyond-calligraphy.com




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HAIKU and SENRYU


humanity kigo for the New Year

fude hajime 筆始（ふではじめ）first use of the brush
..... shihitsu 試筆（しひつ）, shigoo 試毫（しごう）
shikan 試簡（しかん）, shimen 試免（しめん）
shiei 試穎（しえい）, shiko 試觚（しこ）
shishun 試春（ししゅん）"first calligraphy in spring"

hatsu suzuri 初硯（はつすずり）first use of the ink stone


. Calligraphy and Kigo 　

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taking the brush
365 days
first calligraphy

Gabi Greve


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. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


露凍てて筆に汲み干す清水かな
tsuyu itete fude ni kumihosu shimizu kana / hitsu ni

The moss pure spring

beginning to melt,
I soak it dry with my brush:
the pure water spring
source :　Tr. Barnhill

winter of 1687 貞亨4年. Oi no Kobumi 笈の小文
Written at a haikai meeting at Nagoya 名古屋昌圭亭.
Some sources link this to the pure water of a spring in Yoshino.


dew is freezing
and with my brush I soak up
this pure water . . .
Tr. Gabi Greve

This hokku has the cut marker KANA at the end of line 3.

Basho stepping out into the garden after a very cold winter night, trying to pick up some dew from the leaves and write a hokku with it.

This is written in memory of Saigyo:

とくとくと落つる岩間の苔清水
汲み干すほどもなき住まひかな

tokotoku to otsuru iwama no koke shimizu
kumihosu hodo mo naki sumai kana

Trickling down,
pure spring water falls
over the mossy rocks,
not enough to draw up
for this hermit life.
Tr. Barnhill


Another version is

凍て解けて筆に汲み干す清水哉
ite tokete hitsu ni kumihosu shimizu kana
. ite tokete fude ni kumihosu shimizu kana .


. 　Basho and Saigyo 芭蕉と西行法師　.

. . . . .


大津絵の筆のはじめは何仏
Ootsu e no fude no hajime wa nani botoke

. the first brush stroke
for an Otsu-E painting -
which Buddha will it be ? .


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fude nagete tsuki ni mono iu bakari nari


I throw my brush away -
from now on I speak only
to the moon


. Koha (Kooha)　香波


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mannenhitsu 万年筆 fountain pen

from Old Imari pottery kilns



古伊万里風楼閣桜図 万年筆
黄緑彩兜唐草 万年筆
染付章魚唐草濃 万年筆

- Shared by Ken Ichihashi, facebook -

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fudeya　筆屋 brush maker


source : novelty3355.jugem.jp

wooden shop sign of a brush maker 木製筆屋の看板
From professional painters to official letter writers to bookkeepers to children at Terakoya schools . . . everyone needed a pen to write in the Edo period.
When a pen was made, the brush maker licked it in a final test of its finishing.
Therefore we have the following Senryu :

奥様は筆屋が唾をなめ給う
okusama wa fudeya no tsuba o nametamau

the housewife
licks the spittle
of the brush maker

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- quote
Edo Fude 江戸筆 Handmade Calligraphy Brushes

■ Traditional Technologies and Techniques
1- Hair for calligraphy brushes is chosen based on the intended brush type and the length of the brush tip. The craftsman relies on instincts developed over many years of brush making.
2- Removing defective strands of hair is part of the tip-formation process. The tip represents the most important part of a calligraphy brush. A metal comb is used to comb through the strands of hair and align them accordingly, and strands without proper tips as well as those that are incorrectly oriented are removed from the clump.
3- The tip is formed by arranging strands into clumps for the very end of the tip (inochige 命毛), the middle portion of the tip (nodoge 喉毛) and the base portion of the tip (koshige 腰毛). One brush's worth of hairs is then taken from each of these clumps to make a tip. Advanced skills are required to both ensure balanced spacing between the hairs and to also achieve an elegant brush-tip shape.
4- Nerimaze 練りまぜ is a process carried out to achieve an evenly distributed mix of differing strand lengths, and it makes a major contribution to determining the final quality of the brush tip.
5- Shintate 芯立て is the formation of the final brush-tip shape using a ring-shaped implement. The craftsman feels the tip by hand to check its firmness and resilience, etc. The volume of hair used in the brush tip may be adjusted accordingly in response to how the tip feels.

■ Traditionally Used Raw Materials
-- Brush Tip - goat hair, horse hair, pig hair, raccoon dog hair, weasel hair, cat hair, and other varieties.
穂―山羊毛・馬毛・豚毛・たぬき毛・いたち毛・猫毛ほか
-- Brush Handle - Bamboo, wood 軸―竹・木

■ History and Characteristics
Concerning the "calligraphy brush," one of the "Four Treasures of Study" within the Chinese classical canon, in the Nihon Shoki (The Chronicles of Japan) it is recorded that in March of the 18th year of the reign of the Empress Suiko (610); "the methods of making paper and ink were brought about" by the Buddhist priest Damjing. This reference indicates that Damjing was a pioneer figure with respect to the arrival in Japan of writing implements in the form of calligraphy brushes, ink and ink stones.

Since then, there have been numerous advances and improvements made in production technologies as calligraphy brushes (and the written word that accompanied them) became key implements in Japan's cultural and traditional development, with many different types of brush produced for different purposes.

Around the middle of the Edo Period, along with the rise to prominence of the commercial class, Edo witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of "temple schools". In that the general population also began to write, calligraphy brushes came to be widely used among the masses. Furthermore, a number of classic Edo Fude (handmade calligraphy brushes) were born around this time as production technologies employed by craftsmen developed even further. The dominant production method in Edo was called nerimazeho 練りまぜ法 (literally "the mixing method"), and its processes were established by Hosoi Kotaku (1658-1736) in the Genroku Era (1688-1704). This method of manufacture went on to spread quickly due to the new national education system that was promulgated in the fifth year of the Meiji Era (1872).

Due to the combined calamities of the Great Kanto Earthquake (1923) and the Pacific War (1941-1945) many calligraphy brush craftsmen left Tokyo. However, those who were left focused both on the production of high-end calligraphy brushes, and on working to keep the relevant technologies and techniques alive.

Goat hair, horse hair, pig hair, raccoon dog hair, weasel hair and cat hair are but some of the materials used to make the tips of calligraphy brushes. In many cases the hair of goats native to China is used, with the hair grown below the nape of the neck in the vicinity of the upper forequarters being considered the best quality and thus highly prized. When making a calligraphy brush, in forming the tip which is said to represent the most important part, a metal comb is used to comb through the hair strands and align them accordingly, with strands without proper tips as well as those that are incorrectly oriented being removed. Shaping is the process of forming the brush tip, and advanced skills are required to ensure balanced spacing between the hairs and to also achieve an elegant shape.
Nerimaze is the process of taking strands of different lengths and mixing them evenly. This process plays a major role in determining the final quality of the brush tip. Shintate is formation of the final shape of the tip using a ring-shaped implement. The craftsman feels the tip by hand to check its firmness and resilience, etc. The volume of hair used in the brush tip may be adjusted accordingly in response to how the tip feels.

Tokyo Stationary Industrial Association
- source : www.sangyo-rodo.metro.tokyo.jp - 32 -

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- quote -
Tokyo Teue Brush 東京手植ブラシ Handmade Brushes, "western brushes"
Traditional Technologies and Techniques
01 Processing of base wood:
The base wood is cut and planed down.
02 Marking:
A template is placed over the wooden base of the brush and the bristle insertion positions are marked out using ink.
03 Creation of bristle holes:
Bristle holes are made at the points marked in ink on the base wood.
04 Bristle cutting:
The bristles are cut to a specific length.
05 Bristle mixing:
Bristles are mixed by hand so that the (soft) tips and (hard) roots are aligned identically.
06 Sorting by hand:
Short bristles, bristles with irregular shapes and other problematic strands are removed.
07 Bristle insertion:
Predetermined clump quantities of bristles are picked out precisely and folded in two, and a metal wire is passed through and drawn along the center of the wood to pull the bristles firmly down into the bristle holes.
08 Cover attachment:
A thin, wooden cover piece is attached to hide the metal wires and make the product easier to use.
09 Base wood finishing:
① The size of the main body and attached cover are made uniform and the physical feel of the product when held is improved.
② Grooves are added to the side portions to make the product easier to hold.
10 Bristle trimming:
The bristle tips are trimmed to achieve a uniform, predetermined bristle length throughout.
11 Finishing:
The product's surfaces are painted uniformly.

Traditionally Used Raw Materials
- Bristles: 刈萱 Karukaya, Palm, Cedar, Tampico, fern, horse hair, pig hair, goat hair.
- Base wood: Katsura, Magnolia, Cherry, Japanese Beech, Bamboo

History and Characteristics
Brush production (of so-called "western brushes") commenced in Japan around the 7th year of the Meiji Era (1874). At the time, brushes made in France were used as product examples. In the 10th year of the Meiji Era (1877), the First National Industrial Exhibition was held at Ueno Park, with a display of western-style brushes being very well-received. Following on, craftsmen who had traditionally made Japanese brushes began to get involved in the manufacture of western brushes. Production started off with horse hair being used for bristles, oak being used for timber, and bristle holes being made using hand gimlets.

In Meiji 21 (1888), Japan's first brush manufacturing company was established by Matsumoto Jutaro (1844-1914), who was at the time a director of the Dai Hyakusanju Bank (the National 130th Bank). Due to numerous improvements, what resulted was a penetration of brushes into society in much the same way as can be witnessed today. The brush manufacturing industry developed focusing on Tokyo and Osaka. As new machinery was introduced to industries, it came to pass that there were a great variety of brushes used for industrial purposes in workplaces. Moreover, as Japanese home life became increasingly westernized, demand for household brushes increased. Accordingly, in locations such as Wakayama Prefecture, brush manufacturing companies introduced large-capacity machinery and mass production commenced. Later on, in factories in Osaka and Wakayama, even greater industrialization steps were taken. In Tokyo by contrast, a city that had started out with many businesses engaged in producing industrial-purpose brushes, highly-durable brushes whose bristles were hand-inserted were developed.

Because hand-inserted bristles in such brushes run together in that they are all pulled down by an internal metal wire called a "pulling string," they are more robust than bristles in machine-made brushes because with machine-made brushes bristles are directly inserted into each individual hole (and they are not secured by a "pulling string"). It is for this reason that Tokyo's brush manufacturers continue the traditional practice of inserting brush bristles by hand.

Tokyo Brush Manufacturing Association
- reference source : sangyo-rodo.metro.tokyo.jp - 38 -

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. shokunin - Edo craftsmen　江戸の職人 .

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[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
- #fudebrush #kumanofude -
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Santa Claus

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Santa Claus and Daruma San －Merry Christmas!
サンタさんとダルマさん ― クリスマス散歩

I have always wondered what would happen if Daruma meets Santa.
Here is what I overheared the two of them the other day.




Daruma: Greetings to you, my younger brother!

Santa: Hi there, but don't call me in that anonymous Asian way. My name is Saint Nicolaus, but you may call me Claus, as all the others do. I hear you are a saint too?

Daruma: Yes, but here in Japan they don't call me Saint Daruma, they call me "Daruma Daishi", the Great Master. I always envy you since you have to work only once a year. Me, I have to use a lot of little clones to get over the New Year, but even after that I cannot rest. People pray to me for good luck and good business all year round.

Santa: Yea, I have seen your clones, all these little red dolls without arms or legs. You must have been doing some serious meditiation, haven't you, to loose all your limbs in that way. But tell me, why do you dye your beard? You must be almost as old as I am and my beard is all white! And why do you always wear a red robe? Me, if I don't, nobody would recognize me, but YOU?

Daruma:
Well, I come in many colors, forms and shapes, as you might have seen on this BLOG by Gabi san. I may have no arms and legs sometimes, but I am sure proud of my big black beard, I have been taking a lot of Chinese medicine and doing my martial arts exercises every day to keep me young. But I also have no eyelids and eyelashes, haven't you noticed?

Santa: Yes, your eyes are always sooo big and scary! And you drink a lot of tea to keep you awake, that's why you tossed our your eyelashes on the ground to have them grow into tea plants, right?

Daruma: A little miracle once in a while, just to keep me busy during meditation. Just sitting around doing nothing can be pretty boring sometimes, you know. But you, poor fellow, must be getting nuts this season, with all the kids waiting for presents!

Santa: I got my reindeers and my sledge, but Mrs. Santa has been complaining about this old-fashioned transportation lately, she wants a red Mercedes!

Daruma: At least I don't have to worry about that one. Me and my Princess, we always take the Shinkansen, since the streets around Japan are so crowded, we couldn't get anywhere in time even in a Mercedes. Did you know, they call them BENZ here in Japan!

Santa: Yea, the Japanese do many things different than anybody else, don't they! But no more time to muse about our similarities and differences, Big Red Brother. I really must run off, see you next year!

Daruma:
Hey, wait, wait, Santa Claus! You forgot to fill our stockings!

Gabi Greve, December 2002



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. Santa Claus St. Nikolaus, Santa san
kigo for mid-winter


Daruma is one of the best-known Gaijin (外人) foreigner in Japan.
You can learn a little more about him in my introduction :
. Who is Daruma ? 　

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Now I have a Christmas Medley for you, just to enjoy, while I was looking for the Santa-Daruma connection. If you have any more links, please let me know.


Chad sees a connection between Daruma and Santa. Here are his words:
"I think I like images of Santa for the same reasons I like Darumas. Both images are of mythic figures who combine both joy and sacrifice. The Daruma grants wishes and so does Santa. The Daruma and Santa are examples of folklore simplifying and humanizing religious figures."
...geocities.com/Tokyo/7540/SANTA.HTM


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Mrs. Santa:
Mrs. Claus came on the scene in 1889. She first appeared in a book entitled "Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride," by Catherine Lee Bates. (Goody is a contraction for "Goodwife".) And about her busy husband we can learn:
Due to the different time zones and the rotation of the Earth, Santa Claus actually has 31 hours to complete his work, providing he travels East to West.
Reference Mrs. Claus


Here are some impressions of the Japanese New Years events.
日本のお正月についてのお話もあります。
Children, of course, also look forward to having a few days off from school and to the promise of giftsﾑbut not from Santa Claus. He, and Christmas, have already come and gone. This important winter holiday, called "Oshogatsu" (oshoogatsu), is an ancient New Year's celebration, which remains a cornerstone of the Japanese festival calendar.
. The New Year in Japan and Haiku 　



If you are more into the tradidional European Christmas, have a look at the annual Chritsmas Market at Nurnberg, Christkindlesmarkt in Nuernberg.
もっと伝統的なクリスマス市場は毎年ドイツのヌレンベルグで開かれています。スライドショーがあります。
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


On a seasonal list of English words for Children we find
Santa Claus and the Snowman (Yuki Daruma).
If you are teaching English in Japan, this list might get you some ideas of FUN English, so I include it here.
子供達に英語を教える先生方のためにこほHPを紹介します。楽しい英語の勉強がいっぱい。雪達磨も登場します。
http://www.genkienglish.net/vocablist.htm
On their Flashcard List, you find Santa Claus and Yuki Daruma again.
塗り絵のフラッシュカードにサンタさんも、雪ダルマさんもあります。
http://www.genkienglish.net/clipart.htm


Christmas at the Japanese Toy Museum
日本玩具博物館のクリスマスとだるまさんの特別展示会。姫路のお話で、この博物館を紹介しました。
To celebrate the start of the New Year various symbols of happiness and good fortune dear to Japanese were shown in this building. Among the figures selected from the permanent collection of folk toys were the seven lucky gods, including Ebisu (god of wealth) and Daikoku (god of wealth), treasure ships, beckoning cats, and Daruma (roll-over toys of Bodhidharma). Other exhibitions about Christmas on this page include Christmas ornaments, trees and markets from all over the world. We have already visited this lovely museum in the story about Himeji.
http://www.japan-toy-museum.org/english/ekikaku2.htm




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"Daruma" 　
by Dr. Albert Cheknaov
Albert wrote about his Haiku experience, Chritsmas shopping and Daruma.
He writes Haiku, but recently found out that Japanese generally do not recognize English speaking Haiku as real ones. They just being polite by letting foreigners entertain themselves with their poetic efforts.
"Well, I decided that I should start writing in Japanese. But as I don't think it will happen very soon, please tolerate me one more time.

Daruma (Haibun)
Recently, while doing my Christmas shopping I found a store selling, among other things, Daruma dolls. Well, of course I've seen them before but there was a note and fortunately enough for me in English. It was saying that if you have a wish you should buy a doll (which looks like a head without body, of somewhat fierce appearance and with white spots in place of the eyes). Then you should paint one eye and wait until your wish comes true. If it does then you should paint another eye (and I don't know, keep it or bring it to a shrine, that's where I saw them before, all having two eyes)? Anyway, sure enough I spotted a one-eyed Daruma doll on a kaishain's desk when I walked past some company's office last night.

Winter morning .....
I lay still for
quite a while
with one eye opened!

- quote : toyota-ti.ac.jp -

Mary Christmas, Albert, as the Japanese say, or maybe marry Christmas! And many more Haiku next year!


- quote facebook -

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Daruma as a Snowman 　　
. Yukidaruma 雪だるま Daruma as a Snowman

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Hungarian Daruma

Christmas Gifts



quote
I started this painting like 6 months ago for the longest time it was just a daruma on a piece of wood for Christmas I decided to finish the painting by adding Hungarian (since Laura's family is Hungarian) flower designs inspired by their traditional style of embroidery, Kalocsa.
This seems to be something I have been doing combining Daruma's and western European culture, I hope it isn't too culturally insensitive of me, I just love the design of the Daruma as well as the cultural meaning. Surprisingly I think that the flowers and the daruma work well together and the Kalocsa was a fun style to work in.
source : Eric Royal Arts

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source :　atsuko blog

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Santa Daruma 2020

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source : はかた伝統工芸館

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Santa Claus, a KIGO


[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #santadaruma #darumasanta -
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Koma spinning top

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Spinning Top 独楽（コマ） koma

Turning round and round, like the four seasons, everything goes well. The spinning top is an auspicious symbol for a good harvest and the well-being of family and business.

I have quite a few spinning Daruma tops in my collection.


Darumakoma だるまこま



All kinds of spinning tops from Japan !
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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quote
A top, or spinning top, is a toy that can be spun on an axis, balancing on a point. This motion is produced by holding the axis firmly while pulling a string. An internal weight then rotates, producing an overall circular motion. The top is one of the oldest recognizable toys found on archaeological sites.

Besides toys, tops have also historically been used for gambling and prophecy. Some role-playing gamers still use tops to augment dice in generating randomized results; it is in this case referred to as a spinner. A thumbtack may also be made to spin on the same principles.

Spinning tops are thought to have originated in ancient Egypt about 1000 BC and examples of spinning tops have also been found in Greece dating from around 700 BC.

Japanese tops are considered some of the very best in the world with new and inventive designs coming out each year.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Daruma koma yellow 達磨独楽




Daruma koma red




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itobiki Darumakoma 糸引きだるまこま
with a long thread




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uranai Oyako Daruma for divination
占い親子ダルマ



We often use it to figure out who is doing the dishes after a party !


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uranai IROHA koma
いろはに独楽
The Japanese alphabet I RO HA NI is written.





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ategoma 当て独楽（コマ）to divine something
about 10 cm high and 6 cm wide

The numbers 1 to 6 are painted.






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ategoma Kokeshi Daruma
当て独楽 (こま) 　こけしだるま







and one more kokeshi, with a fierce look

. . . CLICK here for "Spinning Top" Photos !


. uranai　占い fortune telling, divination .
- Introduction -

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H A I K U

kigo for late autumn

beigoma (baigoma) べい独楽（べいごま）
spinning tops made from shells
Muschel-Kreisel
bai mawashi ばい廻し (ばいまわし / 海蠃廻し)

BAI are special conch shells that were used as spinning tops in the Edo period. The conches were opened and the inside filled with wax or lead to make them heavy. They were especially used befor the 9th day of the 9th month of the Chrysanthemum festival. This was not only a toy for children, even grownups enjoyed a game. Later the tops were made of metal. The top of an opponent has to be kicked out of the box or round.
Now these tops are also used during the New Year holidays.
A play of words with BAI, to come back to you manifold. 福が倍にくる

Here are more related KIGO
. Autumn ... Games as Kigo 　


kigo for the New Year

koma 独楽 (こま) spinning top
Kreisel
. Things done at the New Year 　


澄みきつて独楽の廻れり冬日和
sumikitte koma no mawareri fuyu biyori

such clearness
as the top spins around -
fine winter day

Tanaka Fuyuji 田中冬二 (1894 - 1980)
Tr. Gabi Greve

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独楽にまでうつる右利き左利き
koma ni made utsuru migi-kiki hidari-kiki

it even shows
when spinning tops - right-handed
left-handed

Takenaka Hekisuishi 竹中碧水史 (1029 - )
Tr. Gabi Greve

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独楽打ちの生き残りみな老いにけり
koma-uchi no ikinokori mina oi ni keri

even the winners
of spinning top games . . .
all are getting old

Yamanoue Kazuichi 山上和一
Tr. Gabi Greve

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kurukuru to koma no yoo ni genki de ne

round and round
like a spinning top -
stay healthy


A New Year haiga, written for a grandchild

Hisae no E-tegami
http://www.geocities.co.jp/PowderRoom-Lavender/9389/book_109.html

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a top spins -
pattern on the shell
of a snail

Elaine Andre
Joys of Japan, February 2012

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. hina matsuri 雛祭り Hina Doll Festival .
Girls Festival, March 3

komabina 独楽雛 hina dolls as spinning tops
so the children could play with them.
They come in small numbers or a full hina display.


source and more hina dolls :　edoya/ohinasama

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. Saga Folk Art - 　佐賀県　 - Karatsu .

Karatsu no koma 唐津の独楽
spinning tops from Karatsu
Karatsugoma 唐津独楽


source :　My favorite corner
kenkagoma 喧嘩独楽 spinning top for fighting
This is a toy for fighting hard by hitting the other person's top, thrown from above. Therefore it is made from strong local wood　マテバシイ mateba shii oak, Pasania edulis Makino.
It is decorated with red, blue and green stripes.
It is similar to the
. Yamegoma 八女独楽 spinning top from Yame .
from Fukuoka.

. kenka-goma けんかごま from Ume 宇目 .
Oita

. shii 椎 Shii oak - Castanopsis cuspidata - .

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. Miyagi Folk Art - 宮城県　　 - Osaki .
keibagoma, keiba no koma 競馬ごま "horse-race spinning top”
In the middle is a large spinning top with a long handle. Two smaller tops are spinning on its surface until one is thrown off and out.

and - from Kanagawa, Odawara 小田原
keigagoma are also called
chirachiragoma ちらちらごま "flimmering tops"
since the two or more smaller tips make your eyes flimmer.



- Look at more samples here:
- source : koma/jiten/2-page -

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- quote -
Ooyama-koma　大山こま Oyama Spinning Tops
Oyama top is a traditional toy made in the mountain area of Oyama, Isehara City, Kanagawa Pref.



Mt. Oyama has been worshipped by the local people since ancient days. In the middle of Edo period, when the religious faith in Mt. Oyama was at its peak, turners in this area began to make tops as a souvenir for the people who visited to worship Mt. Oyama, using abundant timbers and their traditional skills in turnery.
In Japan, a spinning top is associated with everything going round well, so a top is considered to be a lucky item to bring well-being of a family, success in business, and bumper crops. This simple and massive top with a history of 300 years is one of a few excellent examples of the toy that are still made with traditional skills. Its folkloric colored stripe patterns in harmony with the texture of wood give very homely impression.
- source : nippon-kichi.jp -

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. Spinning tops from Yubara, Okayama .

. Sumo　相撲 　Sumo wrestling dolls .
sumoo koma 相撲コマ spinning tops with Sumo wrestlers

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. donkorogoma どんころ独楽 - Introduction
Donkoro spinning top for gambling .


- reference : asahi-net.or.jp/~RP9H-TKHS -

. Bakuchi 博打 Gambling Daruma Dice Holder .

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. Tokyo and Edo Folk Art .



Edo koma, Edo-koma　江戸独楽　spinning top from Edo / Tokyo

Three tops of different size are brought to spin on a special tray.
Street performances with spinning tops on a rope, a handfan or a sword blade were also popular in Edo.

kyokugoma, kyoku-goma 曲独楽　acrobatics with spinning tops


CLICK for more photos !

- quote -
Masaaki Hiroi
makes traditional super spinner (kyoku-goma) tops which are used by traditional spinning top jugglers for their professional performances. A very simple top but which needs highly trained craftsman to create the best balance and spinning movement.
- source : edo-spinning-tops-by-masaaki-hiroi -

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The 松井源水　Matsui Gensui family from Asakusa

- quote -
Matsui Gensui was a famous top spinner, equilibrist and juggler in Edo.


- wikipedia -

In a later generation the family travelled to Europe, around 1867.



Gensui with his wife Hana, their daughters Mitsu and Saki.
From 1867 onwards he and his family performed travelled all over Europe, sometimes in the company of other artists, performing their astonishing array of tricks.
- source : 19thcenturyphotos.com -


. daidoogei 大道芸 Daidogei street performance in Edo .

. Asakusa 浅草 district in Edo .


komashi 独楽師 making spinning tops
Spinning tops became a well-loved hobby of the grown-ups in Edo since the Genroku period (1688 - 1704). It was also a means of boys to find boy-friends.
. nanshoku、danshoku 男色 homosexuality in Edo .
Since this was becomming too obvious, the Bakufu government banned spinning tops in the year 1701.
The children of Edo were only using beigoma, spinning tops made from shells.
Since 1830 spinning tops from metal were sold.
Making spinning tops of wood was a side-business in Edo. The wood was first roughly cut, then smoothed with a file. After applying some colors it was covered with wax and polished.
Some tops were attached to a rope and used like ヨーヨー Yo-yo.


source : driveplaza.com/special/onihei

They were most popular in Nagasaki and called
tsurigoma 釣り独楽　"fishing spinning tops"
or teguruma, te-guruma 手車 "hand wheel".


source : yamada.sailog.jp/weblog
teguruma uri 手車売り vendor of a "hand wheel" toy

. Edo shokunin 江戸の職人 Edo craftsmen .

. kendama けん玉 cup and ball and Yo-Yo .

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. Tengupedia - 天狗ペディア　- Tengu ABC-List .



And one from Kawagoe, see the comments.

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a drunk tiger
on my road to happiness -
this long summer night



An amazing resource of spinning tops of all kinds
by 広井政昭作 Hiroi Masaaki (1935 - )
江戸独楽職人 広井政昭さん / 神奈川県海老名市上今泉1-16-1
- - - - - start exploring from here :
- source : park15.wakwak.com/~eohashi/hiroimokuji-
- even a special about 江戸 カラクリ独楽 Edo Karakuri Koma
- source : eohashi/karakuri -

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[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #koma #spinningtop #kreisel -
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