TOKYO — “When you contact this inexperienced half with a moist brush, the colour turns crimson. It’s mysterious nonetheless many occasions you attempt it.” So mentioned Emiko Abe, a public relations consultant of Isehan Honten, a makeup firm with a historical past of practically 200 years. She smiled and confirmed us a small cup containing conventional Japanese “Komachi-beni” rouge.
The container’s inside, which was coated with the rouge, had an iridescent inexperienced sheen, and magically turned crimson when it touched water. Isehan Honten was opened within the Nihombashi space of Edo (present-day Tokyo) in 1825 throughout the latter half of the Edo interval (1603-1867). The shop’s core product was “beni,” a crimson pigment utilized in lipstick, meals coloring and different types of dye.
Before chemical dyes had been launched to Japan from the West throughout the Meiji interval (1868-1912), “beni,” or a crimson pigment extracted from safflower petals, was one sort of crimson dye discovered within the nation. The space in northern Japan alongside the Mogami River in present-day Yamagata Prefecture had been a significant safflower producer because the late Muromachi interval (1336-1573). During the plant’s flowering season of round two weeks in July, safflower farms picked the flowers, fermented the yellow petals, and created skinny coin-like shapes which had been dried — referred to as “beni mochi.”
The beni mochi made alongside the Mogami River was then transported to the economic middle of Kyoto by way of the Sea of Japan. Many makeup retailers used these to create beni merchandise.
Rouge bought underneath the title “Komachi-beni” is an all-rounder that may be utilized not solely on the lips, but additionally on the cheeks, nails, and across the eyes. The beni is ready to specific a fragile, ephemeral environment in addition to a powerful colour, relying on how it’s layered, and was used as a beloved merchandise amongst girls and Kabuki actors.
One step within the course of to extract crimson pigments and create conventional beni from “beni mochi” manufactured from safflower petals is seen on this picture taken by Ryoichi Toyama and supplied by Isehan Honten’s Beni Museum. =Click/faucet picture for extra photos.
While beni merchandise of Kyoto grew fashionable in Edo, beni manufacturing additionally progressively unfold within the latter, and it was round this time that Isehan’s first technology head Sawada Hanemon opened the shop within the east Japan space.
Isehan Honten’s beni merchandise use round 1,000 safflowers for the skinny coating inside one Komachi-beni container, which quantity to 60 occasions’ value of lipstick utility. Only beni craftspeople are able to making the refined changes that carry out the gorgeous colour. Currently, two craftspeople create beni from beni mochi made in Yamagata Prefecture. Red includes just one% of all of the pigments that may be taken from a safflower petal. By extracting this by way of a standard technique, thick muddy beni is produced. After the beni is utilized on the container’s inside floor with a brush and dried, if the colour adjustments from crimson to an iridescent inexperienced that shines like a jewel beetle’s wings, that is proof of nice high quality.
Isehan Honten is at the moment the final shop which creates conventional Komachi-beni rouge. “Once severed, the standard expertise won’t be able to be recovered. In order to go on the hands-on experiences of craftspeople, we are going to keep on this custom even when it is on a small scale,” mentioned Abe.
A brushstroke of conventional Komachi-beni rouge is seen on this picture taken at Isehan Honten’s Beni Museum in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on Dec. 23, 2020. (Mainichi/Emi Naito) =Click/faucet picture for extra photos.
The crimson colour of Komachi-beni could also be expressing the present seventh technology head’s ambition and devotion to preserving the craft.
Since historical occasions, the colour crimson has been used to keep off evil spirits. During the Edo interval, folks embellished footage depicted in crimson to guard themselves from smallpox and different illnesses. Abe mentioned that this colour could let folks right this moment sense energy and vitality to battle epidemics amid the unfold of the coronavirus.
(Japanese unique by Tadahiko Mori, The Mainichi Staff Writer)
The unique Japanese article was printed on Jan. 26, 2021.
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HOW TO APPLY BENI
Komachi-beni is used by dissolving it with water by stroking the sting of the makeup container with a moist brush. The colour turns into deeper as extra layers are utilized, and the crimson additionally differs for every particular person primarily based on their pores and skin tone. It dries simply, does not stick and has no odor or style. Soap is used to take away the makeup. Another enticing level of the standard makeup is that it’s made out of pure substances.
BENI CONTAINERS
Beni containers adorned with elegant patterns are seen on this picture taken by Ryoichi Toyama and supplied by Isehan Honten’s Beni Museum. =Click/faucet picture for extra photos.
Small sake cups referred to as “ochoko” had been used as reusable containers for Komachi-beni. Once the rouge ran out, the container was delivered to beni retailers to have them apply one other coating. The porcelain container doesn’t take in water. As it’s often positioned the other way up to keep away from mild, basic varieties comprise Arita and Mikawachi ware of southwestern Japan, that are identified for his or her elegant patterns. Foldable rectangular circumstances, in addition to different sorts of containers adorned with stunning decorations, are additionally fashionable amongst foreigners.
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Isehan Honten Beni Museum
Address: 1F K’s Minami Aoyama Building, 6-6-20 Minami Aoyama, Minato Ward, Tokyo
A miniature mannequin of a beni shop throughout the Meiji interval (1868-1912) is seen on show at Isehan Honten’s Beni Museum on Dec. 23, 2020. (Mainichi/Emi Naito) =Click/faucet picture for extra photos.
In 1825, first-generation head Sawada Hanemon based Iseya Hanemon, a shop manufacturing and promoting beni, in Edo’s Nihombashi space. Isehan Honten’s Beni Museum introduces the standard technique of making beni, in addition to the historical past and tradition of Japan’s makeup. Visitors may attempt on Komachi-beni themselves, buy merchandise, and thru reservations, partake in an experiment of extracting crimson pigments from safflowers. The manufacturing course of and a few displayed gadgets may be seen by way of the museum web site right here: https://www.isehanhonten.co.jp/en/museum/
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Enchanting Edo
The “Enchanting Edo” sequence highlights Japanese traditions, crafts, artisanal strategies and tradition relationship again a number of hundred years. The tales supply a glimpse into outdated retailers in Japan’s capital, that are all trying to find methods to guard long-established expertise and expertise whereas additionally maintaining them alive within the modern-day.
The unique Japanese variations of the articles, accessible by way of the hyperlink underneath the proper of the headline, embody “furigana” phonetic characters to help in studying all of the texts’ kanji characters. The user-friendly textual content primarily targets elementary faculty youngsters in Japan, however may also be used by non-Japanese readers studying intermediate-level Japanese. We encourage any readers occupied with Japanese tradition, language, or each to make full use of our sequence.
In Photos: Beni rouge makeup shop in Tokyo retains mysterious custom alive
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220215/p2a/00m/0et/028000c
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