Pan Yuliang Art Exhibit at Lihai Lily Salon

Have you seen this yet? The Lihai Lily Salon of the Shinmachi District has an amazing art display on featuring Pan Yuliang. You can learn more about it below, and see a few pictures. You should definitely stop by the salon and see all of the amazing pictures yourself!

Pan Yuliang was a female painter known in China more for her legendary life than her artistic achievements. She will have a small comeback during an amazing art exhibit event at the Lihai Lily Salon .

"Born in 1895, Pan was sold to a brothel at 13 where she later met Pan Zanhua, a customs official. Pan bought her out and married her as a concubine. She started learning painting from their neighbor and was admitted to Shanghai Art Institute, becoming its first female student. After studying in Paris, Pan returned in 1929 after receiving an invitation to teach at Shanghai Art School. She left Shanghai for France again in 1937 and settled down in Paris. She was selected by the overseas Chinese artists in France to be the chairman of the Chinese Art Association. She died in 1977 in Paris, and her works were sent back to China in 1985. Her works are now in a collection at China National Art Gallery in Beijing and Anhui Provincial Museum in Hefei." - Lihai Lily

Hunter's Moon Odori this Weekend!

What: Hunter's Moon Odori

When: Sunday, October 12th at Noon SLT

Where: Sengoku Teahouse

This Sunday, the Shinmachi School will host a moon odori to celebrate the Hunter's Moon (visible tonight!) and the shinto moon god known as Tsukuyomi.We last performed this dance during our Moon Viewing festival in September of last year, and we've decided to make this dance an annual tradition. With this new tradition, we can be reminded each year of the relation traditional courtesans, geisha and actors have to the moon's guidance and protection.

The Moon Odori is a performance in five parts, matching with five phases of the moon: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous and the full moon.  It begins with our ode to the new moon, shingetsu, the beginning of the month according to the old Japanese calendar. The moon is beginning its journey around the earth and we are given pause to reflect on what the new month will hold.

By the light of the waxing crescent, we are able to see the first glimpses of an oiran and a geisha in all her beauty. Under the first quarter and reveling in half of the moon’s light, the youngest performers of the Shinmachi District will come out to play. With nearly full illumination from the waxing gibbous, the younger ones rest, and the apprentices (the shinzo and maiko) will take the center stage, hoping that the moon's light will lead their lost love to them. Finally, our performance concludes with a celebration of Tsukiyomi and the magnificence of the full moon.

We hope you can join us for this performance, featuring amazing music, and traditional dance and costumes of Japanese courtesans, geisha and their apprentices.

- Aisya

Shinmachi Update

Wow, so it's been awhile since we've posted to the blog. We've been hard at work at revamping Shinmachi and are finally getting settled into our new status as a functioning district, expanding beyond our initial setup of being a group dedication to oiran and tayuu arts. Shinmachi is now made up of the following five houses:

Tsukinoya, House of the Moon
Leader: Kaminari Mai, Oiran
Location: Keisei Mountainside
Tsukinoya is an exclusive house that adheres to the standards of old: there’s only one Oiran in the house at a time. The ladies are women of accomplishment and beauty who are more than happy to offer ozashiki services, private tea and other ceremonies, and teahouse or theater performances.

Yuugana Fuji
Leader: Aisya Destiny (temporarily, currently hiring an apprentice to train and take over)
Location: Adjacent to the Shinmachi School at Keisei
Yūgana Fuji, or Graceful Wisteria, derives its name and crest from the new and the old: The Interlocking Rings are the crest of the sole remaining tayuu house, the Wachigaiya of Shimabara. These rings are also a link to the Fujiwara period of rule (during the Heian era), when Japanese courtesans first began to show their cultural refinement and ties to the elite of society. As such, the women of Yugana Fuji are expected to exemplify the cultural refinement of the past, have an appreciation for history and enjoy the freedoms of the modern era.

Lihai Lily Salon
Leader: Lihai Lily
Location: Center of Keisei
Lihai Lily Salon in the public domain is a traditional Chinese entertainment hall that specializes in
old storytelling forms. Including shuoshu (storytelling) and shuochang (storysinging) accompanied with instrumental ensemble typically stringed pipa, sanxian or even simple percussion. All include basic pantomime and various symbolic hand props for expression such as fan, cloth, zhiyu (jade mallet) etc.

Izumo Kabuki House
Leader: Jinchi Haiku
Location: Near the Shrine at Sengoku
The Izumo Kabuki House was named after Izumo no Okuni (1572? - ?) the originator of kabuki
theater. The Izumo Kabuki House performs kabuki and other plays in Second Life. These performances are often very complex, with wonderful dances and music. For information on training or events contact Jinchi Haiku.

Shinmachi School
Leader: Aisya Destiny
Location: Oceanside at Keisei
The Shinmachi School is the central training hub of the district, offering formal training in Japanese
and Chinese arts, artists and culture. The current primary focus of the School is to provide formal training for those training to be tayuu, oiran, or geisha within the District. Outside of this focus, the School seeks to develop a comprehensive library containing a wealth of accurate, well researched information concerning East Asian culture.


Lastly, we're interested in getting our geisha house up and running. While we have the framework, we are in the process of hiring an apprentice to spend 2 - 3 months training as an Okaasan to take it over. Below is the overview, and IM Aisya Destiny if you're interested or want to learn more.

Harusame Okiya (start up)
Leader: (currently looking to hire an apprentice to train and become the Okaasan)
Harusame Okiya, or Spring Rain, is based on the ideal that geisha and maiko embody the essence of spring. This seasonal poems forms the basis of Harusama's Okiya's existence, along with the goals for the geisha and maiko who train within - they are "the essential experience of spring beauty.*" As the night falls, the maiko and geisha of Harusame begin their work, lovely flowers drifting along the streets towards their destinations, infusing the areas they visit with their beauty. Like the gentle willow, when the dance they are fluid and flowing with the wind. And like the spring rain, Harusama Okiya women utter soft, enchanting whispers that cause patrons to stop, listen and lean in to hear more.