{"id":552,"date":"2010-09-02T15:45:50","date_gmt":"2010-09-02T19:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moonblossom.net\/blog\/?p=552"},"modified":"2010-12-31T14:14:25","modified_gmt":"2010-12-31T19:14:25","slug":"tokaido-fukuro-obi-through-the-kindness-of-another","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moonblossom.net\/blog\/2010\/09\/tokaido-fukuro-obi-through-the-kindness-of-another\/","title":{"rendered":"Tokaido Fukuro Obi, through the kindness of another"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every once in a while, someone does something amazingly kind that you absolutely don’t deserve, and it reminds you that there are still some truly kind and exceptional people out there. Suara<\/strong>, one of the members of the Immortal Geisha forums<\/a>, is one of those people.<\/p>\n

As I’ve mentioned before, I love anything with the Tokaido 53 Stations<\/a> motif, and there was a gorgeous obi on eBay<\/a> that I had my heart set on. Several friends and family members all offered up some cash to help me get it, and I put in a ridiculously high maximum bid. Things went perfectly until the very last second, when I was sniped. I was devastated. I posted a rather angry and expletive-laced rant on the forums, and did my best to move on.<\/p>\n

A few days later, another beautiful obi with the same motif but different stations got posted, and I was determined to get it. Unfortunately, I’d suffered the violent death of my backup hard-drive and had to re-prioritize my finances. I bid what I could, got outbid, and yet again posted on the forums, expressing my frustrations.<\/p>\n

Fast-forward a few weeks, after a rather long and stressful few days, when I come home to this in my inbox:<\/p>\n

Dear Moony,<\/p>\n

The last obi for over $170,– made you so sad and I know how much you like this series of Obis. That is why I bid and fought for this obi as a small present to you. A present to say thank you for your kind help, not only to me but also as a mod for many many people here at IG<\/a>. I tryed to let this obi send to you directly, but I did not have your name and address, nor you Ebay name, and I think, the seller did not realy know what I wanted. So instead of taking any risk, that a wrong person gets it, it is on its way to me, and if you would be so kind to send me your name and address, I will send it right to you ok?<\/p>\n

I think that you are a wonderful person, so please except this small gift to show my apreciation.<\/p>\n

Kind regards from Germany,<\/p>\n

Suara<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I was at a total loss for words – in fact, I started crying. While the entire forum is a close-knit community, I’d never dealt directly and personally with Suara, never had any interactions that I’d have imagined would have made such an impression. I was, and still am, beyond touched.<\/p>\n

I made a promise to wear the obi and photograph it as soon as possible – unfortunately when it arrived this morning it was too hot for boxers and a tank top, let alone a kimono suitable for this amazing piece. However, I did think that the situation deserved at least catalogue photos, because it’s too beautiful not to share.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The obi base is a soft neutral with a slight shimmer – not quite gold, and not quite cream. The three stations on it are Ishiyakushi<\/strong>, Ohtsu<\/strong>, and Odawara<\/strong>. They’re woven in with great detail in a mix of warm browns and beiges and cool blue and green. The obi is lush and gorgeous, and will make an amazing complement to my strange chidori houmongi\/kurotomesode hybrid<\/a>, as well as several other kimono.<\/p>\n

Station 9, Odawara<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n

Station 44, Ishiyakushi<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n

Station 53, Ohtsu<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n

*A quick note on my station numbering – some people may have noticed that it doesn’t always correspond with the numbering used on all websites. The problem is that some places start the road with Nihonbashi being 0 while some consider it station 1. I stick with the numbering system the first reference I used, which starts at 0.<\/p>\n

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