THE ENDS AND THE MEANS There are hundreds of books, thousands of books on how to write. And many of them are important. But if we pay attention to details ONLY we can lose. (As e. e. cummings says, “he who pays attention to the syntax of things, will never wholly kiss you.”) In one of my critique groups, when we get a new piece of writing to evaluate, if it is, for lack of a better word, “good,” we get into the writing and… Continue reading →
Murasaki at her desk shown in a 19th century ukiyo-e. Pillow books in Heian Japan were really diaries called nikki. Donald Keene in Seeds in the Heart devotes an entire chapter to “Heian Diarists.” Why? Because, they were “personal rather than public and the best-known examples…” were written by Heian women of the court. The earliest Heian diary cited is Travel Diary of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law (nittō guhō junreikōki). Written by the Tendai priest Ennin who lived early… Continue reading →
Why is Pillow Book of the Flower Samurai a pillow book? What is a pillow book? Has anyone read or seen the movie of “Memoirs of a Geisha?” Remember when Chiyo, or later Sayuri, practiced to sleep on a pillow, basically a neck rest, so she would not disturb her hair? In ancient Japan, people did sleep on these hard pillows. I knew basically what they looked like, and I believe these are a fairly typical pillows: The pillow on the left is an… Continue reading →
While the Heian times of Japan were glamorous, they maintained strict rules of dressing. Your rank and status determined each garment’s fabric. In the winter garments were quilted, and in the summer, stiffened silk kept the clothing away from the body. So much importance was given to the way people dressed, it could make or break your career and/or your reputation. Color combinations, set by the season or festivals, held a particularly important aspect of dressing. Colors were also restricted by rank. For example only… Continue reading →
A woman’s hair is considered not only beautiful but sexy and seductive.Orthodox Jewish women cut their hair when married in order not to be attractive to other men. Muslim women frequently wear the hijab to show modesty and to cover the décolleté and their hair.Christian women often wear a hat to cover their heads (in order to hide their hair during the service)? I don’t cover my hair. In fact, I often say I spend more money on my hair because I wear mine… Continue reading →
The aristocratic female in Heian Japan also suffered for beauty. We don’t? High heels? Plucking our eyebrows? Desperately trying to fit into the international/New York model ideal of an adolescent body with huge eyes and bulging lips and longer-than-possible legs? The aristocratic females in ancient Japan also held an ideal beauty. They needed to be plump, rounded faces were more attractive than gaunt ones, narrowed eyes, thin noses, and above all long, long shiny, thick black hair. It was common for women to be able… Continue reading →
The clothing in the Heian Age (794-1185) was nothing but magnificent. Only for the aristocrats, however. In the higher upper echelons of Heian society, how you dressed was almost as as important as who you were. (Although if you were the Emperor or the Empress, you can get away with a few little mistakes, but not often.) So what was this clothing? It was layered, and each layer had a name. Let me give you a brief introduction. Some women in earlier Heian times, wore… Continue reading →