Description

[Boogiepop]

(Gentry belonging to Suzume Hitomi)

An old-fashioned, wooden sign, carved and painted in ancient style, announces the small shop. The deep blue kanji on golden yellow background is easy to spot at a distance.

Fire codes mean the lighting inside is electric, but the lamps are tinted to cast a golden glow reminiscent of candles and lanterns. The scent of lacquer, well-oiled wood, old parchment, and silk greets customers as their eyes adjust from the usually bright sun. As they come farther in, they'll catch hints of incense and perfume, as if the objects here have held the scents from their long-ago days of regular use.

Obvious care has been taken to avoid over-cluttering the small, but high-ceilinged shop. Glass-fronted cabinets display an array of smaller traditional craft items--fans, jewelry, cleverly carved boxes, luminous papers, and intricately woven cords. Several incredible kimono are displayed in their own cases. A glass counter holds an array of items beautifully repaired with gold inlay, and a few apparently antique ceramics that haven't yet needed such repair. Behind the counter are a well-made wardrobe in ancient style, and the sort of small-drawered cabinet a healer of old might have had--at least according to the historical dramas most are familiar with. The opposite wall has an ancient painted screen depicting mountains that scholars might recognize, with a tasteful array of paintings and calligraphy hanging above it.

One side is devoted to gaijin artifacts and re-creations of their crafts. Scrolls printed with strange Senpet picture-writing instead of kanji; delicate carvings reputed to have been charms for good luck, fertility, or wealth; mosaics of ceramic, glass, and stone; silks woven in designs that have crept in and out of the Empire's fashions since the death of the cultures that created them; and more.

The overall effect is elegant and refined. Everything is rather expensive, at least compared to their modern, mass-produced versions. But if you want a very fancy and authentically-made kimono for a special occasion, or an exceedingly high status gift to impress someone whose tastes run to the historical and labor-intensive, this is the place to shop. Smaller crafts made of paper or rice straw are affordable, if more expensive than their decorative modern counterparts.

The staff are trained to maintain the refined atmosphere in dress and tone, helpfully pointing out the history and skilled craftwork every item contains. They'll helpfully point out the upcoming workshops teaching some of the crafts on display (for a fee), and their ability to order custom work with enough lead time, to be delivered here on Green Carp or on Rokugan. Perfect if you have business in the Imperial city.