通过Misaki imagawa.
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Although most Japanese no longer wear traditional kimonos, I come from a tradition-loving family and when growing up frequently wore them for special occasions such as family gatherings and dinner parties. My most elaborate kimono was reserved for New Year's Day. It had full length sleeves reaching down past my knees and a sash that took nearly thirty minutes to knot. Altogether, this kimono took over an hour to put on with the help of two extra people; but the beautiful outcome was always worth the effort.
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然而，我仍然认为自己是一个现代人。我和我的和服的一个主要问题是缺乏一个口袋来吸入手机。我试图把它粘在腰上，但它毁了和服的整体外观。我也试图在我手中谨慎地抱着它，但没有意义，因为我需要他们两个都要为仪式米酒提供服务。经过一些研究，我学到了老日本的人们有类似的问题。虽然他们没有手机，但他们需要携带管道，药物，香水，硬币和其他小型个人物品。它们在小袋中储存了这些物品，长拉线，在其端部上有一个小的配重。配重被称为anetsukeand it enabled the drawstrings to be looped around the kimono sash more securely. Today, netsukes are sought after collectibles; yet, they originated with Chinese toggles.
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Much like Japanese kimonos, traditional Chinese attire had no pockets too. People of all social classes, from rickshaw drivers to court scholars used toggles as counterweights to help secure small bags on their sashes. Though toggles were made of various materials, the most preferred and valued was jade, a precious stone that has been an integral part of Chinese culture since the Neolithic Period (9500 - 9000 BCE). A famous quote attributed to Confucius describes jade in this way:“柔软，光滑和光泽 - 它看起来像仁慈;精致，紧凑，强烈的智力;角度，但不是尖锐的，尖锐的义。”它代表着纯洁,博ty and immortality, and was cherished over all else, even gold. It was called the 'stone of heaven.'
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One of the most beautiful aspects of Chinese jade toggles is their symbolism, which was carved into each miniature sculpture. Most often toggles depicted auspicious symbols, making them ideal to be given as gifts or carried as good luck charms. For example, monkey and lion motifs were popular. The monkey symbolized health, success and protection; the lion valor, energy and mastery. As a result, these toggles came to symbolize high government rank. The meaning of symbols could also be found in a play on words. For instance, the Chinese word for monkey,侯，听起来像是侯爵的中文字。狮子的话，shi,can sound just like the words for tutor and thoughts. Consequently, these types of toggles were also given to young men who desired success and lucrative positions. To this end, the carp, orliyu, was also a powerful symbol. In nature, the carp jumps up small waterfalls, and traditional legends say by accomplishing this feat they could transform into dragons. Jade liyu were often given to a young man passing his civil service examinations, transforming him from a small fish to a mighty dragon.
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The dragon itself is also a widely used and popular motif on Chinese toggles, for it symbolizes wisdom, knowledge, ambition, prosperity, rain and fertility. The dragon was also considered the highest class of animated nature and in Chinese mythology had the capacity to become invisible, thus making it a sort of stealth protector. The dragon was such an important motif that slight variations in its depiction could signal additional meanings. For example, a dragon with five claws represented the emperor and imperial authority. The phoenix – the莹ydF4y2Bato the dragon'syang我是传统的mage of the empress. When the dragon and phoenix were joined they symbolized the union of man and woman. As a result, toggles featuring the two mythical creatures were often given as wedding gifts along with well-wishes of marital bliss.
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丰富和财富由各种玉器拨动图案代表。其中一些人可能已经熟悉三条腿的蟾蜍，其中嘴里叫一个叫金婵，也被称为Chan Chu，金钱蟾蜍，金色蟾蜍和金钱青蛙。Chan Chu是最受欢迎的魅力和切换意味着带来繁荣。据说陈楚出现在个人，房屋和企业附近，即将获得好消息。在中国神话中，硬币是丰富，财富和再生的象征，所以这种神奇的魅力在它的嘴里持有一个。陈楚不仅吸引和保护财富，而且守卫运气不好。在中文神话中的所有符号中，金钱青蛙被认为是在创造财富，繁荣和丰富的时候是最有效的;但其他符号可能意味着同样的事情，也是流行的动作。老鼠也代表财富。除了通过其狡猾的性质和智慧完成十二生肖的首先，大鼠倾向于囤积食物，这是完美的象征丰富。 The fish is another popular motif illustrating wealth, asyuis the term for both 'fish' and 'affluence.'
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切换意味着吸引好运，祝福也很受欢迎。许多人描绘了一个蝙蝠图案，因为蝙蝠 - 福的这个词和好运可以出现并听起来也是一样的。特别是，颠倒的蝙蝠意味着“幸福已经到来”。也有趣的是一种看起来像悬挂手指的香橼水果。它被称为“佛手”，被称为福shouin Chinese:福for good fortune andshoufor longevity. A toggle carved with this imagery was appropriate as a gift for a respected grandparent. In return, an elder would present a younger relative with a toggle depicting an adult animal with its young; such imagery representing family continuity for generations. Two other motifs also represented good fortune and blessings – the eagle and the bear. Young men entering the military were often given a toggle depicting these creatures, pronounced莹andxiong分别，因为莹xiongis the term for 'hero'.
在中国艺术中，没有缺乏象征主义;没有任何东西可以比玉切割地改性，没有任何意义。从传说到双关语到一系列动物，植物和神话符号，玉切割往往被认为是有效的，神奇的魅力。从本质上讲，他们是引诱剂，意味着无论他们象征着什么都是磁铁。最初穿着功利主义的目的，在老年人中，他们成为有价值的礼物和珍贵的艺术品;今天，他们已经成为有价值的收藏品，有时会夺走巨大的价格。亚博国际官网登录这里描述的示例仅划伤了玉雕刻中使用的更广泛的有意义的图像和图案的表面。语言往往是这个图像的来源;所以这是一块讽刺的琐事。日语“手机”的单词是keitai denwa. 'Keitai' is derived from two characters that mean 'something small to hang from a sash' –exactlywhat Chinese toggles and Japanese netsukes were designed to do. Yet, when I wear my kimono there is still nowhere to put my phone!
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Full of Charm - Chinese Jade Toggles(334 KB)
Chinese toggles may look like miniature sculptures but they were also functional objects. With no pockets in traditional attires, toggles acted as small counterweights attached to the drawstrings of pouches looped around the sash. Though they were made of various materials, jade was the most valuable. Carved into auspicious images representing a wide range of symbolism they became precious gifts, charms and works of art.
