NEW THIS WEEK - January 11th, 2006:
 

Fans of Japan

The Art of the Geisha
Long a symbol of Japan, geishas are professional entertainers who perform traditional dances and music in teahouses. Artists who spend years training for performance, they are like living history, continuing to faithfully perform the traditions Japan's rich heritage and traditions. Geishas learn the ancient dances, sacred tea ceremonies, flower arranging, and traditional instruments, and over time,  
they have become cultural icons themselves, representing the beauty and exquisite nature of Japan.
 

Geisha Panel
Like a Japanese screen, four design panels unfold a story of a tranquility in which geishas linger in a meditative setting under cherry trees, surrounded by the harmony of the natural beauty of flowers, cranes, and a flowing stream. Each design tells a lovely story of its own, but three or four sewn together in sequence make a beautiful effect.  The image below shows the four panels arranged
together in a lovely scene.

A girl who wishes to become a geisha spends her youth at a "maiko" house, where she becomes an apprentice and learns the skills and emotional sincerity of Japanese traditions and customs--the tea ceremony, the art of arranging flowers, creating music with a variety of instruments, and singing and dancing in traditional performances.  The four images below depict the separate panels, which you
can embroider and use in individual projects, or arrange together as shown above.
 

Geishas, recognizable by their white faces, dark eyes, and red lips, linger by calm waters.

Kabuki Theater
Although thought to have been founded by a shrine maiden, Okuni, who introduced a lively dance style to the ancient capital of Kyoto, Kabuki was to develop its art form without a woman's touch. From the 17th century on, women were forbidden to participate in this traditional form of entertainment, for fear of corrupting public morals. All female roles are played by male actors call onnagata. But the beauty of the onnagata is one of the distinctive features of a Kabuki performance.
 

Like a folding screen, the four design panels sewn together or displayed in sequence, reveal
the breadth of Kabuki actors and musicians in a colorful array of poses.

Kanji, the form of writing that originated in China, expresses concepts and emotions in pictographic "characters." In Japan, Kanji was combined with Japanese syllable writing (kana) to form a unique character set. Japanese calligraphers began to use a brush and ink to create the characters. The control offered by brush strokes allowed for variations in thickness and tone in the drawing of each character, creating individual expressions of spiritual depth and extraordinary beauty.