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tanuki-kimono · 2 years

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No-face the eggplant facing a tiny Chihiro, super cute miniature diorama by Tatsuya Tanaka.

This set is a Spirited Away twist of an old Obon (festival of the dead) tradition called 精霊馬 shouryo-uma (lit. spirit horse). People craft horses made from cucumber and oxen made from eggplants:

(quote from this article) The cucumber horse is long and sleek, symbolizing ancestors’ swift journeys home to their families. The eggplant cow, plump and sturdy, embodies ancestors’ leisurely return trip, a load of souvenirs with them in tow.

While this long-standing tradition is practiced in many parts of Japan, younger generations have been riffing on it in new ways, carving their summer vegetables into elaborate creations and posting them online. For some people, shouryouma represents a special way to pay tribute to their loved ones.

#japan #studio ghibli #Spirited Away #miniature #folk tradition #festival #tradition #obon #festival of the dead #精霊馬 #shouryo-uma #spirit horse #cucumber #kyuuri #eggplant #nasu #buddhism #sen to chihiro no kamikakushi #Tatsuya Tanaka

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