Oshidori Utagassen / GRAND MIRAGE! ~ Flower 2023

Ft. one of my ticket cases :D

If seeing Tsukigumi was like stepping through a portal, seeing Hanagumi was like seeing Takarazuka for the first time. My last live Hanagumi was (checks notes) uhhh... Casanova. And with the exception of a Nice Work stream that I half paid attention to, Casanova is kinda also the last Hanagumi I saw, period. Oshidori had exactly one person in common with the visible cast of Casanova, and it was Rei. So here's my unbelievably fresh eyes take!

OSHIDORI SPOILERS:

No one is evil and no one dies!! 😭 This is a rakugo-inspired comedy based on an old movie that is readily available with English subs on YouTube, and I'd recommend watching it!

Oharu (Hoshikaze Madoka) is the daughter of Shimura Kyousai (Kazumi Shou), a rōnin turned umbrella maker. She is in love with another rōnin, Asai Reisaburou (Yuzuka Rei), who lives next door and teaches sword work to the local children, but he is being pursued by two of the town beauties, Otomi (Hoshizora Misaki) and Fujio (Mihane Ai). To make things even more difficult for Oharu, her father is obsessed with antiques, buying them even though he has little money and even when most of them eventually turn out to be fakes. A mistake puts him deeply in debt to the local lord, Minezawa Tanba-no-kami (Towaki Sea), and he is confronted with having to sell Oharu in order to pay it off. It turns out that Reisaburou, who prefers Oharu to the other two, is in possession of an extremely valuable antique; he was found with it in his basket when he was abandoned as an infant, and this means he's also the long lost oldest son of the Minezawa noble family. Everyone lives happily ever after!

Koyanagi-sensei is really the holy grail of Takarazuka in-house directors right now, in my humble opinion. This was such a good choice of adaptation, and her nihonmono comedy are always so fun and accessible. I was, frankly, jealous watching this; since I'm currently the least familiar with Hanagumi, I coveted it for my faves. But poor Rei has had quite a marred top star run (mostly due to COVID), and I'm glad she got a nearly complete run of such a fun show.

That said, Asai was unfortunately the least exciting character. This is definitely personal preference, but I don't really get fired up by the cool, quiet, aloof, handsome type in a lighthearted show, unless he's also the butt of jokes a la Daimon in Bakumatsu Taiyouden. I find Rei the most appealing in dynamic, dance-heavy performances, and Asai as a character was just too one-note for me.

OHARU, on the other hand...

Madoka will retire from Takarazuka, probably into a prolific stage career (if she wants it), and be remembered for/cast based on her high profile roles like Tess Ocean, Anastasia, and Elisabeth (shinko but still). If I were queen of the world I'd insist she be remembered for Oharu. Sometimes you watch so much Takarazuka you get the performance equivalent of nose blindness, and then out of nowhere, something like a Western guest director will jolt you awake and make you ask yourself, "What's different about this??" Madoka made an atypical acting choice! She did a weird voice! She was funny! She was adorable and charming! She stole the whole show, honestly.

Hitoko, my love. Last time I was in Japan, PRxPrince was in bow hall while On the 20th Century was in Shibuya, and I opted for OTTC, thus missing out on Hitoko entirely during that trip. That makes the last time I saw her live on stage friggin' Gaisenmon. That seems SO IMPROBABLE, but it's true. In that time, we went from MUCH too long-awaited first solo bow lead to ripe and ready for top stardom. Hitoko has a chameleon power that I think is pretty unique in Takarazuka; not only does she disappear into roles (positive), but also I truly think she could thrive in any troupe with little difficulty, and seem like she was there forever. As salty as I still am that she was stolen out from under me, she's the weft to Hanagumi's warp. Tanba-no-Kami was so fun and silly. I love finding out which new and different Hitoko I'm going to get each time, and I hope there are many many more variations to come (can't wait for Gekijou).

Other highlights:

VERY juicy (albeit old man) taidan role for Kazumi Shou. Dad is a big supporting character and she has a lot of stage time.

Shimon's presence is healing

Last time I saw Hanagumi, Mihane Ai was an unnamed ken-2 and Hoshizora Misaki was an unsorted rockette in Ocean's 11. It was funny to see the two apparent contenders for next top musumeyaku competing with the current top musumeyaku for the top star's heart. Since Hoshizora snagged the tour lead it sure seems like she's the front runner, but I have to say I personally preferred Mihane!

GRAND MIRAGE SPOILERS

The curtain went up on those pastel dresses and oversized bonnets and I just giggled to myself. It was Okada-sensei alright! Especially after the fresh delight that was Kaleidoscope, it was disappointing to go back to yet another pandemic-era revue that left me struggling to remember what any of the scenes were. It was classic, and if you're both into that style and a Hanagumi fan I'm sure there were memorable moments. To me it felt like Citrus Breeze if you sucked all the nostalgia out of it.

Oshidori Enmusubi Shokai e Youkoso [Last Volume]

Kamisuwa Onsen, collected random infos

Back in March, a reader of this blog asked for a blog entry in the vein of previous "the look of..." features, but for Kamisuwa Onsen 上諏訪温泉. Sadly, there isn't much visual material available and the basic look of the 3 or less remaining Geisha boils down to: Yohatsu, Homongi, light-coloured Obiage, Otaiko Musubi, or the formal look: Tsubushi Shimada, Kurotomesode, red Obiage, Otaiko Musubi. So here, I present some collected random infos you might find interesting.

Kamisuwa Geisha, Setsubun 2014

Dances Kappore かっぽれ Takeda bushi 武田節 Kiso bushi 木曽節 Kohan bushi 湖畔節 Ina bushi 伊奈節 Shôchikubai 松竹梅 (performed in the new year season) Tsurukame 鶴亀 (performed at wedding receptions and birthdays) O-Suwa Takashi お諏訪節 Sukêto bushi スケート節 (Ice skating on lake Suwa) Kirigamine kouta 霧ヶ峰小唄 (ice skating) Onhashira kouta 御柱小唄 Suwa ondo 諏訪音頭 (about the beauty of Suwa throughout the seasons) Okaya kouta 岡谷小唄 (about the Okaya silk industry) Numbers 1930's ("early Showa period"): 200 Geisha in Kamisuwa 1958: 80 1960's: 300 2006: 3 History The first Hanamachi on lake Suwa developed in Nawatemachi 縄手町/畷町 in 1903 (renamed to Otemachi 大手町 in 1909). In the following years, a few Ryotei were established. In 1920, the area of Otemachi 1 and 2 chôme was designated as area for Geisha, so Okiya and Ryotei of the neighbouring Izumichô area 和泉町 were moved there. In the early Showa period (1920's/30's), Okiya that were formerly located in Hamamachi also moved to Otemachi. Kamisuwa had two kenban: Ote kenban 大手見番 and Koyanagi kenban 湖柳見番. In Shimosuwa 下諏訪, it seems kenban had no specific names. In Okaya 岡谷, there used to be another Koyanagi kenban 小柳見番 in the Honmachi area. In Chino 茅野, there were Miyagawa kenban 宮川見番 (current Miyagawacho area), and Eimei kenban 永明見番 (current Nakacho area). Before the around 1969/70, Geisha of these respective cities did not work in other cities. But with the decline of Geisha numbers, the Hanamachi in Okaya, Shimosuwa and Chino were no longer able to meet the demands of their customers, so it was allowed for Geisha from Kamisuwa to pad those numbers.

Chiyomaru 千代丸 in "Showa Meigiren", 1988 Daily life Geisha usually practiced their respective arts (such as Narimono, Nagauta, Kouta, dance) until 15:00, afterwards they went to the beauty parlour to get their hair done, put on makeup and change into work clothes. Ozashiki usually lasted for two hours. Style In the year 1935, Geisha still wore their natural hair instead of wigs, and their hairstyle changed, depending on rank and age. Hangyoku wore Momoware 桃割れ and Oshidori おしどり. Geisha under 26 years wore Yuiwata 結い綿 or Taka shimada 高島田, no info on Geisha between 26 and 30, Geisha aged 31 and above wore Geiko yui 芸こ結い, tsubushi (shimada?) つぶし, icho gaeshi 銀杏返, and yokai maki 夜会まき. Around 1955, most Geisha wore short hair or western updos on a daily base and used Nihongami wigs for work. Becoming Geiko Three mediators who acted as go-between of Okiya and families/volunteers worked in Kamisuwa. According to Manchiyo, who worked from 1930 to 44 in Otemachi, the daughters of poor farmers and travelling entertainers were sold to the Okiya for 15 yen. When the parents met with the Okiya, the length of the girl's service was decided. After becoming employed by the Okiya, the girls were doing "odd jobs", while taking lessons in Hanayagi-ryu dance, Shamisen and other arts. It's like Shikomi in Kyoto, although no specific term is named. When a Hangyoku was ready to become a Geisha, she had to prove her skills in dance or shamisen to a council of dance/shamisen teacher, Okiya owner, senior Geisha, head of the Geisha association and a member of the Kenban. The Okiya spent around 30 yen for an Erikae, while the Geisha had to take a loan of 150-200 yen. If her parents were to borrow money during her time before becoming independent, it was added to her loan. If parents continued to ask for money and the Geisha's debt became too large, they often became prostitutes in order to pay off their debts. Around 2 years after becoming Geisha, they became "Goshugi tori" ご祝儀取り - they receive some of the money from the Gyokudai, but tips were entirely for them to keep. The next level was called "share" 分け, when 40% of all earnings were her own. When becoming independent from their Okiya, they paid fees for food and being registered at the place. Most Geisha also had a patron after becoming independent, which also lead to most of them retiring before the age of 30. @gardengeisha yes, this is about Kamisuwa Onsen located in Suwa-gun in Nagano prefecture!

Sources: https://www.saginoyu.com/blog/10090 (2014) 地方花柳界における〈芸〉と〈色〉諏訪湖沿岸 地域の事例 (2015) 花街文化伝える学校が開校／長野・上諏訪温泉 (2008) はなあかり: 昭和名妓連 (1988)

When is oshidori mesu done ?

Oshidori mesu is seen during Setsubun and sometimes as a pre-sakkō hairstyle in Pontocho ^^

A third straight day of 渕 fuchi names! The name 鴛渕 is read Oshibuchi, and it's an animal name.

鴛, as you might have guessed from the 鳥 radical, is a bird kanji! A rare one: male mandarin duck. It's read oshi, oshidori, en, or on.

A female mandarin duck is 鴦, read ō. Because of the mandarin duck's lovey-dovey fidelity, you see these words in romantic terms like おしどり夫婦 oshidori fūfu, lovebirds / a loving married couple, and 鴛鴦の契り en'ō no chigiri, having a happy & harmonious relationship. Also, 鴛鴦茶 en'ō, which is a drink: black tea mixed with coffee. Huh!

渕, as you probably remember by now, means edge or deep pool. It's read fuchi, kata.i, hanawa, en, kaku, or kō. It's a variant of 淵.

#TwoForTuesday:

Kawano Kaoru (Japanese, 1916-1965), Quiet Couple (Oshidori), woodblock print c. 1950s.

These are Mandarin Ducks (Aix galericulata), symbols of fidelity & marital bliss across East Asian cultures because of an old belief that they mate for life. (They usually don't though. Sorry!)

A real-life couple for comparison :)

End of Year Zuka Tag 2023 (Part 1 of...)

I'm not sure how many parts I'll do this in coz i know it won't be daily so I'll just do however many questions I feel like at a time.

1. Sumire no Hana: Did you find a new favourite this year? (Either someone who has entered the company this year or someone who has been in the company a while but you have only just become a fan, or both!)

There's a couple of hanagumi girls i've been noicing more this year! I really love Asanoha Kotono, her performance in Junjo at the end of 2022 and then her first shinko lead in oshidori were both fantastic performances. I love her acting style and her singing is gorgeous! I'm excited to see where she goes next.

I also love Suzumina Natsuki! I first noticed her in Naiwa back in 2021 and she has been steadily getting bigger roles, particularly this year. I don't know what it is but whenever she has a little role it's like a pop of serotonin. I love how she's been getting comedy lines and older female characters. I think she's going to become a fun character actress!

Optional bonus question for those that did the tag last year: Who did you put this question in 2022, are you still following them and how have they grown as an actor/person in 2023?

I didn't actually get round to doing the tag last year but I thought it would be fun to mention the girls I talked about in 2021!

Mihane Ai: Back in 2021 I was so impressed by Mihane's performance in Prince of Roses and now look at her, 2 small theatre leads later! She's come so far! Her singing has improved a lot and her acting keeps getting better and better! I always find her performances so moving. Maihime was definitely a stand-out performance of the year!

Hoshizora Misaki: Is now one of my most beloved stars, after 2021 there was a little show called Fuyugasumi which instantly became one of my favourite shows of all time and there was one actress in particular where every time she was onstage I was thinking "wow shes so cool" and that was Misaki! I then wrote my first fan letter and have been writing ever since. She's done so much great stuff this year including playing CARMEN in the hanagumi national tour. So proud of her and I can't wait to see where she goes next.

Irodori Michiru: Since 2021 Michiru has moved to tsukigumi where she has been getting many amazing parts as a kind of nibante musumeyaku. I'm really rooting for her when the next topcombi gets announced! Please, it's what she deserves!

i'm positive you'll get mortal kombat already so i'm gonna send government mandated katanagatari and throw in toh for good measure and spice

AND YOU WERE RIGHT

so, for katanagarari

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

• Favorite character: this guy

dreamy sigh...

• Least Favorite character: mmmh yknow what Im gonna go with the Yasuri parents

• 5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): uuuugh togame/shichika, chouchou/oshidori, kamakiri/mitsubachi :), hitei/emonzaemon, and hitei/togame (divorce only) houou/emonzaemon (divorce only)

• Character I find most attractive: the character design is ON POINT for almost everyone in this anime, so I guess I will single out sabi, meisai, azekura (yes it counts) and kiguchi

• Character I would marry: /

• Character I would be best friends with: /

• a random thought: I know it would literally lessen the lesson of the story but what if,,, togame and shichika got their own little party traveling with them along the way,,, three characters in particular yknow yknow,,,

• An unpopular opinion: LOVE the ending, highkey the most important part of the story, and the nanami episode was perfectly placed alongside with her fate.

• My Canon OTP: gnhnhngnh togame/shichika and hitei/emonzaemon, the devotion of it all

• My Non-canon OTP: Azekura/Kiguchi (platonic). Its a thing. fucking. trust me on this its about the gnngnhgngnh

• Most Badass Character: same as most attractive: SABI, meisai, azekura, kiguchi and kyouken :)

• Most Epic Villain: I know we dont like nanami but she is a very effective villain

• Pairing I am not a fan of: kamakiri/nanami, wierd it was even a thing

• Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): MEISAI, my daughter konayuki, and pengin😔

• Favourite Friendship: Azekura, Konayuki and Kiguchi which is TOTALLY a thing fucking TRUST ME ON THIS,,,,,,

• Character I most identify with: /

• Character I wish I could be: /

And now for toh (sorry its less ellaborate)

• Favorite character: I like Lilith :)

• Least Favorite character: there was one character who PISSED ME THE FUCK OFF in one episode but thankfully ive erased them from my mind and Im not going back in to remember them.

• 5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): I dont really ship anyone in owl house so other than the canon confirmed ones like lumity and eda/raine... not much else

• Character I find most attractive: darius is pretty, also harpy eda

• Character I would marry: /

• Character I would be best friends with: /

• a random thought: Im wishing all owl house enjoyers a very pleasant s3 dropping soon :)

• An unpopular opinion: UUUUUUH idk i dont care about caleb or the wittebane brothers and their backstory

• My Canon OTP: both lumity and eda/raine are pretty cute id put them at the same spot

• My Non-canon OTP: none really!

• Most Badass Character: willow

• Most Epic Villain: belos is a gooooood villain tho will I like what we got I still wouldve enjoyed if they embraced his whole horror deal a bit more

• Pairing I am not a fan of: most darius ships ngl

• Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): I will be honest with you: there hasnt been enough of the show for anything to have been screwed up, if anything its disney who screwed over the show

• Favourite Friendship: the main characters squad and darius with eberwolf

• Character I most identify with: /

• Character I wish I could be: /

Oshidori Hidden Waterfall Chino City Nagano Prefecture Japan

Подробнее на https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiOj_HNi-jc

Bibliographic Record

Author

Hearn, Lafcadio, 1850-1904

Title   Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things

Contents   The story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi -- Oshidori -- The story of O-Tei -- Ubazakura -- Diplomacy -- Of a mirror and a bell -- Jikininki -- Mujina -- Rokuro-Kubi -- A dead secret -- Yuki-Onna -- The story of Aoyagi -- Jiu-Roku-Zakura -- The dream of Akinosuke -- Riki-Baka -- Hi-Mawari -- Horai -- Butterflies -- Mosquitoes -- Ants.

Credits  Updated: 2021-11-01

Credits  Updated: 2022-01-30

Language   English

LoC Class

PL: Language and Literatures: Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania

LoC Class

PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature

Subject

Ghost stories

Subject

Paranormal fiction

Subject

Japan -- Social life and customs -- Fiction

Subject

Legends -- Japan

CategoryText

EBook-No.1210

Release Date  Feb 1, 1998

Copyright Status   Public domain in the USA.

Romantic antique obi with embroidered oshidori (mandarin ducks lovebirds) and shidarezakura (weeping cherry blossoms). This shade of pink paired with with the sleek satin silk ground must look so pretty irl!

Source: http://nihongami.blogspot.com/2019/07/blog-post_16.html

Japanese Hairstyles: Historical Overview Part 02: Women’s Hairstyles of the Edo Period, Part 03

Hairstyle Name: Kanto - Osu Oshidori (関東 - 雄おしどり) lit. “Tokyo-style Male Mandarin Ducks”

     In Tokyo, the Oshidori hairstyle was used to indicate that the girl wearing it has been engaged. The name, Oshidori, is a reference to the fact that wild Mandarin Ducks mate for life. However, it appears that the actual thing about the hairstyle that indicates engagement is the long “bridge” of hair laying atop the topknot. The style pictured above is considered the “male” duck because it lays the bridge over the topknot of an average Momoware hairstyle. The “female” version, called Mesu Oshidori, would have a bridge of hair laid over a typical Toujin-mage hairstyle.

Oshidori Enmusubi Shokai e Youkoso [First Volume]

Oshidori  おしどり

Sonjô, un hábil halconero y cazador, caminó por una vereda en busca de algún animal que cazar. Había caminado todo el día sin suerte, y en verdad que sentía mucha hambre. Después de un par de horas más de larga caminata, se topó con una ciénega donde había dos patos oshidori (patos mandarines) nadando. Sonjô sabía que no se deben cazar los patos oshidori, pues son un símbolo divino del amor conyugal, pero el hambre lo hizo comenter una falta y disparó asesinado al pato macho. La hembra se escondió con toda rapidez entre los juncos.

De regreso a casa, Sonjô cocinó el pato, lo comió con avidez y se fue a dormir. Pero entre sueños se le apareció el pato hembra, metamorfoseado en una hermosa mujer. Ella sollozaba y se lamentaba con mucho dolor. Pronto reclamó a Sonjô por el asesinato de su esposo y terminó sus amargos lamentos gritándo “pero mañana que vayas a la ciénega, ya verás...”.

A la mañana siguiente Sonjô despertó y recordó el sueño que había tenido, sobre todo la sentencia: “pero mañana que vayas a la ciénega, ya verás...”. Se vistió y corrió a encontrarse con el pato hembra.

Al llegar a la ciénega, el pato estaba ahí nadando. En cuanto percibió la precencia de Sonjô lo miró con violencia y se abrió el cuerpo con su propio pico. Inmediatamente Sonjô buscó un templo y se convirtió en monje budista.

www.mitosjpenespanol.tumblr.com

Lee mitos griegos aquí

Lee mitos coreanos aquí

Lee mitos chinos aquí

Fuente de la imagen aquí

https://www.instagram.com/p/CoN-s18BwIz/?igsh=MXVzY3ZnYjZqZnNlag==

What hairstyle is this ? It looks a bit different to sakko ?

That's oshidori mesu ^^

ミルクケーキ。 初のヨーグルト味。 チェルシーのヨーグルト味程のパンチは無いけど素朴で美味し！ #おしどり #ミルクケーキ #ヨーグルト #日本製乳株式会社 #oshidori #milkcake #八ヶ岳高原ロッジ #yammy (八ヶ岳南麓) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeBhQYcpMhi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=