
This is the largest piece I’ve ever done that depicts maiko. I like depicting groups of maiko and geisha, so I’ve been wanting to try it someday.
I painted Kyoto’s famous sites and events in the background of maiko (chikaaki) and geisha (toshiteru, chikafuku) from Miyagawacho, to celebrate Kyoto.
From the left, the famous thousand torii gates of Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine and the stone statue of the fox enshrined there.
In the center is the Golden Pavilion of Rokuon-ji Temple. Also, the dragon, the guardian deity of Buddhism, is painted on the ceilings of Tenryu-ji Temple, Myoshin-ji Temple, Shokoku-ji Temple, etc.
To the right is a float from the Gion Festival, one of Kyoto’s three major festivals. The red hexagram next to it to the left is the shrine emblem of Abe no Seimei, an astrologer from the Heian period.
The round stone mill-like object at the bottom right is the chozubachi (water basin) of Ryoan-ji Temple, and is carved with the Zen maxim “I am aware that I have enough.”
Each one is an interesting cultural asset or treasure, with its own story behind it. There are many such things in Kyoto.
star_border