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gurdymonkeyI came home to an email from a gentleman from one of the Japanese boards. He asked me to critique some recent photos of him before he made them "public." What do you do when someone writes "Please feel free to be brutally honest. I need to hear it."
So I took a deep breath, examined the photos and respected his wishes. He was wearing a modern black, formal, crested kimono that was obviously too small for him. This is a common fault when those of us who are only Japanese in our heads for a few hours a week try to fit our big American bodies into vintage garments made for smaller Japanese bodies.
The hakama were a soft brown with a subtle stripe and they fit. I couldn't see where the knot WAS and the waist had a potentially dangerous droop caused by the way he'd tucked his swords in. I suspect he had things tucked in underneath. He needs to figure out what sort of knot he wants to use (there are multiple variants) and practice tying it.
In semi-related news, someone over on the Tribe.net boards related an anecdote in which a woman was observed to be wearing an obi tied in front. A couple of "properly" dressed Japanese ladies along with their escort, descended upon her, about to tell her that only prostitutes wore front tied obi - at which point, the woman propositioned the escort - in Japanese, because her persona was a prostitute! They're ALL wrong! From my post: "Women tied their obi in front until the mid to late 17th century when obi got signficantly wider. From a simple sash only a couple of inches wide, suddenly one had this decorative yet inconvenient knot getting in one's way. That's when back-tied obi became fashionable, and when front tied obi became the mark of a courtesan or prostitute. Therefore, those "properly" garbed women (a) were not, in fact, properly garbed for the SCA." And then I backed it up:
How much more respectable can you get? Thirteenth century Buddhist nun Eshinni. Look for the skinny ends of her front tied obi falling inside the circle formed by her rosary.
Young people playing hanetsuki (a game sort of like badminton) from a 16th century screen. Several girls are shown with skinny front tied obi.
Early 17th c. screen shows figures with both front tied and back tied obi. All this tells us is that both styles were being worn at this point and front tied obi are not a signal of anything.
17th century painting of a "red light district." Note the caged window of the brothel. Back tied obi on the floozy sitting on the porch making time with the samurai.
18th century painting of ladies with back-tied obi. Having a knot that big in front has now become impractical.
18th century woodblock print of "beauties." THIS is the classic front tied obi that one sees on women from the pleasure quarters during this period.
19th century woodblock of an "oiran" or high ranking courtesan with distinctive humongous front tied obi and pincushion coiffure.
You want to find a lady of negotiable virtue, look at her HAIR.
(Putting it here because I should probably save it and put it on my website...)
So I took a deep breath, examined the photos and respected his wishes. He was wearing a modern black, formal, crested kimono that was obviously too small for him. This is a common fault when those of us who are only Japanese in our heads for a few hours a week try to fit our big American bodies into vintage garments made for smaller Japanese bodies.
The hakama were a soft brown with a subtle stripe and they fit. I couldn't see where the knot WAS and the waist had a potentially dangerous droop caused by the way he'd tucked his swords in. I suspect he had things tucked in underneath. He needs to figure out what sort of knot he wants to use (there are multiple variants) and practice tying it.
In semi-related news, someone over on the Tribe.net boards related an anecdote in which a woman was observed to be wearing an obi tied in front. A couple of "properly" dressed Japanese ladies along with their escort, descended upon her, about to tell her that only prostitutes wore front tied obi - at which point, the woman propositioned the escort - in Japanese, because her persona was a prostitute! They're ALL wrong! From my post: "Women tied their obi in front until the mid to late 17th century when obi got signficantly wider. From a simple sash only a couple of inches wide, suddenly one had this decorative yet inconvenient knot getting in one's way. That's when back-tied obi became fashionable, and when front tied obi became the mark of a courtesan or prostitute. Therefore, those "properly" garbed women (a) were not, in fact, properly garbed for the SCA." And then I backed it up:
How much more respectable can you get? Thirteenth century Buddhist nun Eshinni. Look for the skinny ends of her front tied obi falling inside the circle formed by her rosary.
Young people playing hanetsuki (a game sort of like badminton) from a 16th century screen. Several girls are shown with skinny front tied obi.
Early 17th c. screen shows figures with both front tied and back tied obi. All this tells us is that both styles were being worn at this point and front tied obi are not a signal of anything.
17th century painting of a "red light district." Note the caged window of the brothel. Back tied obi on the floozy sitting on the porch making time with the samurai.
18th century painting of ladies with back-tied obi. Having a knot that big in front has now become impractical.
18th century woodblock print of "beauties." THIS is the classic front tied obi that one sees on women from the pleasure quarters during this period.
19th century woodblock of an "oiran" or high ranking courtesan with distinctive humongous front tied obi and pincushion coiffure.
You want to find a lady of negotiable virtue, look at her HAIR.
(Putting it here because I should probably save it and put it on my website...)
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no subject
Date: 2007-09-24 04:43 pm (UTC)so what does a lady of negotiable virtue's hair look like? Is there a common factor through the ages, or is it distinct looks at different times?
(Thanks for putting this up here, as well as on your website)
no subject
Date: 2007-09-24 06:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-24 07:31 pm (UTC)