The traditional Lunar calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms.
Tōji, is the 22nd solar term, and marks the winter solstice. The term begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 270° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 285°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around 21 December (22 December East Asia time) and ends around 5 January.
Along with equinoxes, solstices mark the middle of Traditional Lunar calendar seasons. Hence the term for the winter solstice directly signifies the summit of winter, as "midwinter" is used in English.
In certain Asian regions, the season is regarded as important as the Lunar new year.
This is also the shortest day of the year in Japan and the rest of the northern hemisphere, when the sun is at its lowest point in the sky. In Kyoto, the daytime is approximately five hours shorter than at the summer solstice. Winter has truly set in, and the cold builds, but from this point the days start to become longer again. The winter solstice, referred to as Ichiyou Raifuku, represents the re-emergence of the sun's warmth. In ancient China and Japan, this day was often regarded with trepidation, as it marked the period when the sun's influence was at its lowest. However, it was simultaneously viewed as a moment when the sun commenced its recovery, symbolizing a positive shift.
On this day in Japan, it is customary to drink grapefruit hot water and eat pumpkin in certain places. It is also the time when people put yuzu fruit in their baths for the winter solstice. White flowers begin to bloom around the winter solstice.
This is my friend Aoi Tayū 葵太夫.
This one is a real legendary figure in Japan.
I remember the shocked expression from my trusted driver of 10 years when I told him one day that I was going to introduce him to Aoi Tayū 葵太夫.
I am terrible, I talk to all the locals when I am traveling so I get to know new friends very quickly.
Tayū (太夫) are the highest rank of female entertainers in early modern Japanese licensed quarters. Tayū were distinguished historically from other courtesans (yūjo; women of pleasure) and entertainers (Maiko, Geisha/Geiko) by their intensive training in numerous traditional artforms from a young age. The prestige this education conferred on them allowed them to refuse clients. They were the only entertainers to attend the Imperial banquets.
Tayū were known for their training in Japanese tea ceremony, kōdō, ikebana, Japanese calligraphy, poetry, dance, singing, and the playing of traditional instruments, such as the koto. In general, it takes about 10 years training to become a Tayū.
Tayū differed from lower ranks of oiran by the social class of their customers and the services they offer. Traditionally, tayū catered for the uppermost echelons of society, including the nobility and the imperial court. Tayū were recognised as a group in the beginning of the Edo period. Due to the limited size of their clientele, they were never numerous; during their peak there were approximately 40 tayū working in Kyoto in the Shimabara district.
While entertaining, tayū wear elaborate kimono and hair ornaments weighing more than 2 kg (4.4 lb). Unlike modern-day oiran and geisha, but similarly to some apprentice geisha, they do not use wigs for their traditional hairstyles, but instead use their own hair.
Tayū wear white face makeup and blacken their teeth. Tayū are usually accompanied by an older female attendant and two kamuro (young girls wearing red livery bearing the tayū's name).
When outdoors, tayū wear distinctive extremely high platform sandals, which require a special mode of walking in order to look elegant, and also an attendant for support. This and many other aspects of the tayū's appearance were copied by the oiran, most notably in the oiran-dōchū, a procession where the oiran processes to meet a customer.
We have known each other for 3 years now.
We meet up each time I come to Kyoto.
Aoi Tayū loves to share with me the beauty of Japanese and particularly Kyoto and tayū culture.
This year, we met up during Tōji for a short photo session.
I like the blue kimono that Aoi Tayū is wearing on this day. Blue is a color associated with winter. Blue is also a less commonly seen color with kimonos, and with blessings from the ancestral Goddess, we still have some red autumn leaves despite it being late December...
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