Happy Tanabata

[asakiyume]

Since we don't have any bamboo handy, when the kids were little we'd attach our wishes to the branches of our birch tree or rhododendron bushes.

Here's a sweet illustration of what Tanabata celebrations used to look like in Edo-Period Japan. The artist is Sayuri Sasai; she posts on Instagram and Twitter. Here is her Tanabata post from Twitter:



(Link to tweet)

Her pictures of daily life during the Edo period are super charming (and informative!)--I think many of my Dreamwidth friends would like this one of an ukiyo-e artist who lives with cats:



(link to tweet)

If you'd like to see more of her work, here is her Instagram account--which is where she posts more of her pictures--and here is her Twitter account. (I posted from Twitter because the embed function from Instagram wasn't working on my browser.)

Comments

[queenoftheskies]

How wonderful!

[asakiyume]

:-)

[sonia]

I love the happy child in the first image! And of course the cozy cats, including the one blithely pushing through the rice paper window just like the big dogs across the street have pushed through their upstairs window screen so they can see out better. Aww, just noticed the kitty cuddled in the artist's chest.

[asakiyume]

The artist's sense of place, personality, and detail are so wonderful. In the first picture, I also like the cat on the roof in the distance. And yes, that cozily curled-up kitten in the second!

[sonia]

Oh, yes, thank you for pointing out the cat on the roof!

[sovay]

I think many of my Dreamwidth friends would like this one of an ukiyo-e artist who lives with cats

Speaking personally, yes!

[asakiyume]

Hahaha, well I wouldn't want to assume, but I know you've experienced most all of these cat positions ;-)

[sartorias]

Oh wow, adorable! I'm adding the Twitter account!

[asakiyume]

Hopefully it'll add some delight to your brief visits to the site!

[kore]

Oh that's so beautiful.

[asakiyume]

<3 Really glad you like them.

[anna_wing]

I would love the cats one. Does she sell prints?

Some really bad news from Japan today.

[asakiyume]

Yes, dreadful news :(

I don't believe she does--at least, I haven't seen the possibility of them prominently promoted. It seems like she may publish books of them? I'll look again and see what I can find.