「彼岸花撮影」Kimono x Red Spider Lily
In September the red spider lily is blooming in Japan.
Since I started setting up photo shoots I dreamt of creating beautiful visuals with this mystical flower.
Here the Higanbana (彼岸花) is associated with farewell and death. Probably also due to the flowers having been planted close to cemeteries. They are poisonous so animals don’t get near them. Often seen near rice or vegetable fields they act as a natural fence.
9月に彼岸花（又は曼珠沙華）は綺麗に咲きますね。すごく不思議な花でいつか着物に合わせて撮影できるといいな〜って思ってました。気持ち的に花が突然咲き始めて・・バタバタしながらロケーション、モデルさんと撮影者も無事に決めた。
真っ赤の花のコントラストになる白色に決めて、完璧のモデルさんを決定した： 花ノ本以津輝
パフォーマンスバンド「破天航路」のメンバーで子供の頃から日本舞踊をやっている方です。そして良く白塗りと着物で踊るので、お陰様で今回の作品はとても絵になりました。
場所としては川越の近くにある有名な巾着田にしました。数年前に行ったことがあって、ロケハンの時間もなくて・・
最近はよくPRをやってきたそうで、当日のお客数で大変びっくりした（笑）それで撮影は無理と思ってたけど、人の流れに合わせたらなんとか大丈夫でした。皆さんもとても優しくて、たまに待ってくれましたし。
逆に白塗り美人を見て喜んでた方々も多くいらっしゃいました。本当にありがとうございます！
Not too far out from Tokyo (close to Kawagoe, Saitama) is a famous spider lily field which draws many visitors every year. (Will put the info below.)
Because I was actually surprised by the quick bloom and it seemed easily accessible without car, I quickly decided to shoot there.
It seems they ramped up their promotion in the past years, because the place was packed with people.
After the first shock we still managed to get some great shots and the people passing by seemed to enjoy the view themselves haha. (Had a hard time with people sticking their cameras in our faces..)
Since the blood red flowers are so vibrant I wanted to create a nice and pure contrast with a white kimono. And I needed something way more dramatic and artistic than for the kimono photo shoots I had done before.
So naturally I jumped up and down like a kid, when Izki Hananomoto – a performer agreed on collaborating with me.
She always wears shironuri (white Japanese makeup) on stage with her band HATEN KOHRO – who is a fun rock-pop band who interprets old Japanese songs new and performs with a big team in a wild Japanese mix style. Izki herself grew up in a family of Nihonbuyo (traditional Japanese) dancers and she usually sings and dances on stage.
In the early morning Izki and I started getting ready. She applied her makeup and I arranged her Nihongami hair and dressed her. The kimono was not made to be pulled so far back in the neck but we did it anyways haha! At the shoot we had Izki literally dance a little for us so the kimono got more and more wrinkled and loose, but I really love the pictures! I hope they inspire you too!
朝早くから準備スタート！花ノ本さんは自分で白塗りをして、その後は私は新日本髪と着付けをしてみました。
芸者さんも良く使っている帯結びはでもあまり詳しくなくて、手伝ってもらいました。（笑）
Let us welcome autumn! 秋へようこそ！
Disclaimer: The pictures have been taking on the regular walking paths. One image inside the flowers has been taken outside the venue and by making use of a hole in the flower field and taking great care of not damaging any flowers!!
※注意：撮影は花がない場所にして、座る瞬間、周りの花にダメージかけないように随分気を使いました！
A huge thank you also to my amazing photographer Kathryn from Kitsuke Film and Photo for bringing my vision to life!
素晴らしい撮影者もありがとうございます！カスリンさんは私のビジョンをバッチリ受けて、綺麗な作品にしてくれました。
CREDITS:
Model: Izki Hananomoto (https://izkihananomoto.tumblr.com)
Photography: Kitsune Film and Photo (https://kitsunephoto.squarespace.com)
Styling / Direction: SALZ Tokyo
If you’re interested check out the band 破天航路 HATEN KOHRO
花ノ本以津輝のバンド「破天航路」は良かったら確認して見てね♡
(https://hatenkohro.tumblr.com).
The location is called 巾着田 Kinchakuda (https://www.kinchakuda.com) and is located close to Koma station, along the Seibu Line.
巾着田は西武線の高麗駅の近くにあります。来年はいかがですか？
Why not visit there next September?
Anji
