March 3rd is Hinamatsuri, also called Doll’s Day or Girls’ Day, and is an annual festival in Japan. Multi-tiered platforms covered with a red fabric are used to display a set of ornamental dolls representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, guardians and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period. My friend Naomi (previously editor of Patchwork Tsushin) spent a very special day with me. First we went to the Thousand Buddha Temple – the Sanjusangen-do Buddhist temple – to participate in the Girls Day festivities. I was there many years ago with the tour I led to the Tokyo Quilt Festival, and it was on the Seijin-no-Ho which is the Coming of Age Day here. (and a national holiday) Over 1000 young people dressed up in their best traditional kimonos and archer’s historic garb, and there was a huge archery contest behind the temple. Both holiday visits, I walked through the long temple which literally houses 1000 Golden Buddhas and their guardians. What an experience!
In the evening we went to a historic Kyoto restaurant, for a very special Girls’ Day presentation and dining experience. This restaurant is found in a narrow alleyway and overlooks the river. Chimoto was founded in 1718 and on this day they displayed their precious Hinakazari dolls and accessories. There are only 2 of these original ancient doll sets in existence – owned by the restaurant’s generational owners – and the Emperor. So what a special treat, hmm? The 8-course meal was a treasure chest of jewel-like little presentations, like the dolls.
And yesterday my friend Keiko and her husband came to pick me up at my Osaka airport hotel, and drove me up to visit the Osaka Castle, which was used for some scenes in last year’s remake series of Shogun. I have been trying to visit this castle since 1985, when I would come to Osaka on textile-buying trips as a Hong Kong based fashion designer. I guess the castle has been burnt down and destroyed a few times so the current castle has been rebuilt and the inside re-imagined as a museum. Keiko is an upcycling quilter and crafter. She and her husband live in the
‘Eco House’ in Kobe. She has been to quilt festivals around world, including Houston in the 1980s. She teaches classes on turning trash into crafts and accessories. Thank you for hosting me Keiko!
I will be writing more about this after I get home – after my Open Studio this weekend – so be sure to subscribe to my artist website and my photo pages for the updates.
If you are in the Boulder area and would like to see my 12 quilts that were displayed at the Kyoto Quilt Festival, you can visit my Open Studio this Sunday March 9th from 1-5 pm. I’ll be shipping many of them out to their respective museums and exhibits on Monday. I still have some time slots for group visits on Saturday afternoon – by appointment only please.
Time to pack and check out, and fly home.
Sharing our passion for fabric…..
Luana and Paul
Travel/Lecture Dates:
Feb 25 – Mar 5 – Solo Gallery @ Kyoto Quilt Festival Feb 28 – Mar 2
Apr 3-6 – SAQA Conference – St Pete, Florida
April 23-25 – Washington DC
April 27- May 3 – Alegre Retreat
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