Ame-Onna

Another addition! Yaay!!!

Very well then, let the explanation begin!

This is Ame Onna. The water woman. She's folk a deity, who walks across the land, bringing rain. Farmers pray to her. The end.

So now, some personal thoughts.
I love rain. More than sun. Sun gives me big-ass headaches. Rain boosts my inspiration. And I alwyas found it SO unjust. Like, everyone keeps bitching about rain. But without it, nothing would grow, so being an Ame-Onna practically means you have to listen to people nagging, bitching and complaining about your nature and the only time, when someone prays to you, is because they want to use you. Sort of makes me wonder, if the 40 days/nights flood from the Bible wasn't caused by a pissed-off Ame-Onna.

Now for the facts.

This picture was a bit of excitement for me. I got to draw a different style of kimono. I mean, it's all nice and cool, but after a while all the meiji-taisho-showa style kimonos are starting to be boring. (think Memoirs of Geisha) So this is from edo-era.

It's inspired by the paintings of fuji-musume (wisteria-girl) from Ohtsue. The hat (Nuri-gasa) is black and lacquered. The Furisode (lit. swinging sleeves. The black, outer kimono) is actually whole, but worn only over one arm. The other sleeve is hanging on her back. The Shitagi-no-sode and shitagi-no-suso (shitagi=underkimono, sode=sleeve, suso=skirt-hem) are both in colours, corresponding to her nature, as well as the Furisode-no-suso (hem of the black kimono. The blue hem underneath the black), obi (belt) and koshi-obi (girlde. Under obi). All in blue, since she's a water deity.

She's holding several hydrangeums, since they're one of the symbols of rain.

There. That was some exhausting explanation, wasn't it?