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Description
"In summer, it is the night- moonlit nights, of course, but also at the dark of the moon, it's beautiful when fireflies are dancing everywhere in a mazy flight. And it's delightful to see just one or two through the darkness, glowing softly. Rain falling on a summer night is also lovely." (Sei Shonagon, The Pillow Book)

The opening lines of Sei Shonagon's "The Pillow Book" are famous, in which each season is catalogued to a particular time of day in which that season's beauty is at its peak. And in summer, it is the night.

These lines inspire me all of the time, and the lines about summer brought about this piece... which could just have easily been titled "Pontocho Night". Pontocho is a geisha district in Kyoto that is situated between Sanjo Ave and Shijo Ave and between the Kamo River and Takase Canal (making it very small and narrow). It's main attraction is the view over the Kamo River which looks over the Gion Kobu geisha district and the Higashi mountains. I placed it on one of the decks that is built over the Kamo River where the view is best appreciated, along with the refreshing breezes off of the river.

The Geiko is wearing a ro hikizuri, or a kimono designed to trail on the ground and made of silk woven in an open leano-weave (which is worn at the height of summer). Ro's defining feature is the horizontal lines of the open weave silk. They were very difficult to recreate, I do not want to try again anytime soon. I made my life easier by making the obi sha silk, which is also worn at the height of summer but doesn't have the lines. It features a lotus rising out of the water and my signature in Japanese.

Description
"In summer, it is the night- moonlit nights, of course, but also at the dark of the moon, it's beautiful when fireflies are dancing everywhere in a mazy flight. And it's delightful to see just one or two through the darkness, glowing softly. Rain falling on a summer night is also lovely." (Sei Shonagon, The Pillow Book)

The opening lines of Sei Shonagon's "The Pillow Book" are famous, in which each season is catalogued to a particular time of day in which that season's beauty is at its peak. And in summer, it is the night.

These lines inspire me all of the time, and the lines about summer brought about this piece... which could just have easily been titled "Pontocho Night". Pontocho is a geisha district in Kyoto that is situated between Sanjo Ave and Shijo Ave and between the Kamo River and Takase Canal (making it very small and narrow). It's main attraction is the view over the Kamo River which looks over the Gion Kobu geisha district and the Higashi mountains. I placed it on one of the decks that is built over the Kamo River where the view is best appreciated, along with the refreshing breezes off of the river.

The Geiko is wearing a ro hikizuri, or a kimono designed to trail on the ground and made of silk woven in an open leano-weave (which is worn at the height of summer). Ro's defining feature is the horizontal lines of the open weave silk. They were very difficult to recreate, I do not want to try again anytime soon. I made my life easier by making the obi sha silk, which is also worn at the height of summer but doesn't have the lines. It features a lotus rising out of the water and my signature in Japanese.