In honor of the spookiest month of the year…

Allow me to introduce Minori, a Shironuri artist.

The essential idea behind the Shironuri trend is to paint your face stark white, reminiscent of the Geisha style. Among all the Shironuri artists, that’s the one similarity. The rest is pure, creative art.

In an interview with IBTimes UK, Minori talks about her inspiration for her looks, and the history behind it:

“In the 9th to 11th century Heian period, men from aristocrat families painted their faces to show their status. There is also a theory that due to poor lighting indoors at the time, faces were painted white to bring out their features. Shironuri is a tradition that has been done by both men and women throughout the history of Japan,” Minori tells IBTimes UK.

“I grew up in the countryside, so I have been witnessing the beauty of nature since I was small, from the patterns on leaves, the shapes of flowers to the grooves of the tree bark. I thought that if I could combine aspects of nature such with Shironuri it might be good, so I tried it.”

She says that a friend suggested that she try the fashion, when Minori complained that some of the more popular Japanese street fashion styles, like Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) did not suit her.

“It is not that I dislike my natural face, however I felt that it did not fit perfectly with the sort of clothes I wished to wear,” explains Minori.

“Compared to the level of strength in the clothing I wore, I felt my face lacked the necessary impact, like it was not being able to keep up with my clothes. With this feeling, I developed the style more until what it is today.”

While it pulls in aspects from Lolita fashion, such as Gothic-loli, they are really nothing alike. Shironuri isn’t a fashion worn out to make a statement. It is an ethereal, fantasy look that can only be captured in photographs. Check out some more photos of the master artist, Minori:

Photos: http://tokyofashion.com/her-memories-of-a-dream-minori/

As no blog is official without an introduction…

みなさん、初めまして!

I have had a fascination with Japan since I was young. It first began when I saw Memoirs of a Geisha. The beginning lines to the film, so hauntingly beautiful, ring in my mind to this day.

“A story like mine should never be told. For my world is as forbidden as it is fragile. Without its mysteries it cannot survive. I certainly wasn’t born to the life of a geisha. Like so much in my strange life, I was carried there by the current. -Sayuri”

I was entranced. Everything about this film was so foreign to me. So much more beautiful than anything I had ever laid eyes upon before. It was the eccentric makeup, the elegant clothing, the colorful history and the poetic sound to their words that enticed me. I had to know more.

Fast-forward to modern day, I currently study Japanese Language and Culture at EMU. It’s one of the only things in my life that I’ve stayed passionate about since being a child, and my interest in the subject only continues to grow. In creating this blog I’m hoping simply to share my thoughts on the culture, post about things that peak my interest, and connect with others who enjoy doing the same.

“You cannot say to the sun, ‘More sun.’ Or to the rain, ‘Less rain.’ To a man, geisha can only be half a wife. We are the wives of nightfall. And yet, to learn kindness after so much unkindness, to understand that a little girl with more courage than she knew, would find her prayers were answered, can that not be called happiness? After all these are not the memoirs of an empress, nor of a queen. These are memoirs of another kind.”