Hashioki

I have a few strange quirks. Most are harmless like this one of collecting hashioki (chopstick rests) but only those that are in the shape of a fish and where there is both a "boy" and "girl" fish. I display them on a piece of cloth showing a scene from an Edo era screen with koi on it. Most are ceramic.

Anyway, I am up to 12 pairs of hashioki now. Starting in the upper left hand top row they are: tai (sea bream), kingyo (goldfish), some little critters I forgot that look like gobies, koi no bori (carp streamer shape); left middle row: another pair of koi no bori made from glass, kingyo, some Vietnamese haishioki made from horn, tai, fugu (poisonous blow fish); bottom row: kingyo, tai, hirame (flounder).

In Japan, pink is for girls and blue is for boys. You might also see other pairs like the orange and black or gold and orange in the picture. Tai are popular because they are thought to bring good fortune. They are often eaten at ceremonious meals and Yebisu is usually seen holding one. Of course this is the time of year to fly koi no bori with May 5th coming up.

The fish shaped ones are a bit hard to find in pairs. I asked about them once and was told that they are a little old fashioned and really only used on special occasions at home. Some nice restaurants have them. They are kind of fun though. If you have special china and silver I suggest you get them out and use them. They aren't doing much good in the cupboard. Have a tea party :-).

The weather is great right now! This morning was very clear and Fuji was clearly visible.

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