Shishimai II

Shishimai - The Lion Dances

Guess what!? FUYOU LET ME WEAR HER AWESOME FURISODE!!! And look how stunning it is! I can just picture this being worn by a cute young maiko on stage...

Now, I should let you know that most of the repairs I'll be doing to this one are complete. I've patched up as many of the holes and weak spots in the lining as possible. The only thing left for me to do is stitch the shoulder tucks back in place. That's right, as I was working on this baby's lining I realized that some of the pin holes which I'd thought were caused by insects were actually left by the stitching from shoulder tucks. I will be stitching those back in place before returning this beauty to Fuyou.

In order to take care of this furisode while wearing it, I dressed it very gently. There is no ohashiori, not even one hidden under the obi, and I wrapped the red mommi around my body to help keep from stressing the kimono's fabric while I tied the obi. This also helps create the maiko look. I don't have a lion themed obi, but I thought my green dragon themed maru obi would suit this kimono well. At least the dragon and lion are both mythical creatures. I tried tying the obi in a short darari knot, but since I was dressing on my own, I wasn't able to get it to look right, so I didn't bother photographing it. I also wore plum blossom kanzashi in my hair to match the plum blossoms on the skirt. And yep, that's my maiko han'eri too. I specifically altered this juban to fit the 90cm sleeves of maiko kimono and sewed the han'eri on so I could use it for maiko henshin easily.