Eye spy: Shisa ornaments (guardian lions of Okinawa)

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Eye Spy“.

These are small Shisa ornaments (guardian lions of Okinawa) decorated at the genkan (entry space where you take off your shoes) of our place. My husband got them a long time ago, when he visited Okinawa on the school trip and has been treasured them since then!

If you go to Okinawa, you can see lots of them on the roofs or at the gates of buildings. It is said that Shisa have the power to expel evil spirits and protect us.

Looking at their sharp eyes, I sometimes feel like that they keep an eye on us to see if we are doing the right thing. They help me clear away bad ideas from the inside and straight myself.

Ceramics Never Die

Two weeks ago, I broke one of my favorite bowls that I got in Dubai as a souvenir.

I was so depressed when I did it, but soon after I remembered that my mom might be able to fix it.

I brought these pieces to her place and then the bowl has come back to me like this.

 

 

Can you see the gold lines?

This is kintsugi  (golden joinery), a Japanese traditional way to fix ceramics. First, connect the broken pieces using lacquer, leave it until it’s dried, then decorate the lines with gold or silver. The connected lines are called keshiki (scenery), meaning that the ceramic has a new look.