Japan History and Culture

The furisode

Furisode (??) means “long flowing sleeves” .

Furisode is a style of kimono. When a young Japanese woman turns 20 years old, to celebrate the Coming of Age Day, she is recognised as an adult. She has the right to vote, is responsible for any crimes and is allowed to smoke and drink (officially).

Many parents buy the Furisode for their daughters to celebrate this significant point in a young woman’s life. Furisode is the most gorgeous formal kimono for unmarried women, it is an elaborate decorations beautiful designs and colors made of very fine, brightly colored silk..

There are three kinds of furisode which vary according to the length of the sleeves. The longest sleeves are 42.3 inches. The next longest sleeves are 41.3 inches. And the shortest sleeves are 33.5 inches.

The middle-length sleeved furisode is commonly worn at Seijinshiki (coming of age ceremonies), graduation ceremonies, and wedding parties. The style of obi used with this furisode is called fukuro obi , which is an obi that is double the width of a typical obi and is worn by folding it in half. There are many elaborate ways to wear a fukuroobi.

Furisode generally uses flowered patterns and designs. In addition, tie-dyed designs are often used to make the furisode more elaborate and the use of gold foil adds to the richness. Obi-age(Obi scarf) is used to cover obi-makura (small pillow) which supports the obi in the back and holds the obi crest line in place. A carefully selected obi-jime (the cord tied over the obi) is tied at the front. Fastening the obi and also accenting the obi A pair of white tabi (traditional Japanese socks) is always used when one wears a formal kimono

Furisode are mainly worn for major social functions such as wedding ceremonies or tea ceremonies until they get married. Depending on the quality of the materials, design and workmanship, a furisode normally costs around  ?100,000 to ?300,000 to rent and over ?1,000,000 (approximately $10,000 US) to purchase.

The second Monday in January is a public holiday called ‘Adult Day’ and many young women attend a ceremony wearing their Furisode kimono

The Tachibina ( standing hina dolls, 立雛, 紙雛)

The Tachibina is an older form of Japanese Hina dolls from the early Edo period  (1603-1827). The earlier Tachi bina dolls were not made to stand up, instead they were made to lay down or lean on the display. The faces of this set appear to be old with a beautiful sparkle on Gofun, probably from the late Edo to early Meji period.

The “Tachibina”, which is consist of a pair, one male (large, with outstretched protective arms) and one female (smaller, armless). The male is usually about 38 cm high, while the female is around 23 cm. They are generally made of paper and are relatively two dimensional. He wears a kosode, or short-sleeved kimono, and hakama pants, all of paper, while her kosode is constructed simply of paper wrapped cylindrically around her and tied with a paper obi sash.

They are related to very ancient protective figures (the amagatsu, a cross of bamboo with a head, and the hoko, an almost armless stuffed doll). They also evoke and sometimes replace the elaborate emperor and empress hina-ningyo which girls display at Hina Matsuri. When made of paper or inexpensive materials, they are appropriate for the nagashibina ceremony, the ancestor of Hina Matsuri, in which dolls are touched or rubbed to absorb one’s sins, and then thrown into a river.

The pair can also be made of various more durable materials (kimekomi, wood, pottery, or complex construction like hina) and today represent marriage.

An arrow for the New Year (Hamaya, 破魔矢)

A talisman bought at the New Year in a shrine or temple with the wish for good luck.also used in rituals of exorcism. It is a sacred arrow with a white feather used as a special charm for good fortune.

Hamaya, Literally, “demon-breaking arrow,” a decorative arrow sold at Shinto shrines during at New Year’s to ward off misfortune and to attract good luck. Hamaya are popular among New Year’s visitors to shrines as one type of good-luck charm or engimono. From the Edo to the early Meiji period, hamaya were given as gifts to celebrate the first New Year of a male baby’s life, frequently in a set together with a pair of decorative bows called hamayumi (“demon-breaking bows”).

The custom of selling the arrow alone is thought to be a later abbreviation of this custom. Even today, the custom persists of standing such symbolic bows and arrows at the northeast and southwest corners of a new house (called kimon 鬼門, the directions thought particularly susceptible to evil influences) on the occasion of the roof-raising ceremonies (jōtōsai).

The etymological significance of hama is not clear, but it is said to have been an ancient word for an archery target or an archery contest. The practice of making round targets of braided bamboo or straw, or circles of wood, and throwing them into the air or rolling them on the ground as archery targets was a common children’s pastime, but it was also known as a form of New Year’s divination used to foretell the fortunes of the coming year (toshiura).

When these elements are considered in the context of the current use of hamaya as New Year’s good-luck charms, one must consider that the current interpretation of hamaya and hamayumi as “demon-quelling” arrows and bows was rejected by the Edo-period scholar Ise Sadafumi, who asserted that the characters used to express hama were originally adopted merely for their sound, and that the word’s true meaning lay elsewhere.

Kagami mochi(mirror mochi,鏡餅)  

Kagami mochi (a rice cake decoration for Japanese New Year’s), literally “Kagami” means a mirror and Mochi means a rice cake, which is offered to Buddha and other deities at the New Year. And the kagami mochi is decorated with objects often chosen for the lucky ideas suggested by puns on their names.

Kagami mochi consists of a stack of two round rice cakes (mochi), which round shape symbolizes fulfillment in the family. The stacked cakes indicate successfully “piling up” or adding another year to one’s life.

 The smaller placed atop the larger, and a daidai orange (a Japanese bitter orange) with an attached leaf on top, whose name means “generation”, is said to symbolize the continuation of a family from generation to generation.

In addition, it may have a piece of white paper. Some of the Kagamimochi are  decorated with a folding fan, a sheet of kombu (Kelp) and a skewer of dried persimmons under the rice cakes. It sits on a stand called a sanpō (三宝) over a sheet called a shihōbeni (四方紅), which is supposed to ward off fires from the house for the following years. Sheets of paper called gohei (御幣) folded into lightning shapes similar to those seen on sumo wrestler’s belts are also attached.

The ornamental mochi is removed on January 11 and broken into smaller pieces  before being eaten. By this time, the kagami mochi is usually quite brittle, and cracks appear on the surface. The mochi is not cut with a knife, since cutting has negative connotations (like “cutting off ties”). It’s broken with one’s hands or a hammer, and thus the ritual is called kagami biraki鏡開き(“Mirror Opening”also known as the “Rice Cutting Ceremony”). The smaller pieces are roasted and put in zenzai or shiruko (sweet soup of boiled beans) or zoni (vegetable and meat soup). By partaking of this offering to the gods, ancient people believed that they were inviting divine blessings.

Lucky Laugh or Funny Face Game (Fukuwarai)

Fukuwarai is a Japanese traditional game which is usually played during New Year holiday  in Japan. The game can help you to learn directions and parts of the face.

Fukuwarai means “happy laugh.” Fuku means fortune, and warai means laughing, which is also a popular indoor game on the New Years. The game is usually played by children, but adults may sometimes play also. The game is similar to that of Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

How to play
 
1. Draw two same pictures of a person’s face.
2. Cut the eyes, eyebrows, nose, ears, and mouth out of one picture.
3. Then one player is blindfolded with a handkerchief or some other type of cloth.
4. The blindfolded player tries to place cutouts of the eyes, eyebrows, mouth, and nose on the face, while the other players shout instructions–for example, “Higher!” “To the left!” “There!”
5. After the player places the pieces, the blindfold is removed so the player can view his or her handiwork.
6. Most of the time, the face comes out looking ridiculous, and the players can’t keep from laughing and let the next player take a turn.

Originally, only one style of face was used for the game – a comical, round face of Otafuku. Otafuku is a homely looking woman. Nowadays, other faces are sometimes used, such as those of popular actors and comic book characters or popular anime characters.