Kobai Project – Heian Haven

I’ve stalled since the New Year. Partially because I’m out of work and searching for a new position and partially because *waves hands at the state of the world*. It’s hard to think about art and personal goals when people are dying for no good reason. I think the only way I can help is to continue my research and provide a little spot of joy to myself and others. This calls back to the compassion I’m supposed to be showing to myself and everyone else.

SO. Projects. Let’s see if we can get a handle on all the things I’ve wanted to do and start making forward progress again.

SEWING

I have two pieces of clothing that are all but done. Hakama and a kosode. I’d like to finish those by tomorrow and get them in the mail by Monday.

The Kobai project. This one is a big undertaking. I’m still debating whether or not I want to completely hand-sew it. There are 5 ginu/kinu and nagabakama cut out ready to go. This project is intended to be worn with the uwagi I finished for Birka 2025. (I should make a post about that.) I do not yet have a plan for the karaginu to go with it, but I think resetting for next Birka (2027) is the right thing to do. That gives me about 10 months. Doable. This will also mean mending my hitoe from the pilgrimage ensemble (which needs to happen anyway).

I also want to make a smallish number of asetori/kosode (underwear). 3-4 would do it. It is possible to finish one in about two days, but that does not mean it’s easy.

Oh. And I need a new obi. Mine was green, representing “apprentice”. I am no longer an apprentice as I have been elevated to Laurel, so I need a new belt. (That would also be a good subject for a post.)

TANKA

I’ve not been writing very often. Partially I’m trying to decide how much I want to continue to share. I enjoyed sharing my work widely, and many, many people enjoy reading what I write, but I’m considering publishing and most publishers do not want the content available anywhere else. I think I’ll focus on my Kokinshu Challenge project and share that, as I have been in the past. I also share one poem in each of my Waka Wednesday episodes and some here. That should be enough sharing to satisfy that itch. I’ll keep the rest private.

GENJI

Continuing on with the analysis and YouTube videos is the main project I will focus on of all the projects I have in various states of doneness. I do want to create the Heian Look Book I dreamed up last year. And I’ve received a bit of encouragement to move forward with the fan project. I mentioned wanting to make a hiogi, the ceremonial fan, after one is called out in chapter 29 and one of my lovely viewers commented, “make the fan!” The fan project will be a minimum of two, one paper (sensu) for Oborozukio, one wood (hiogi) for Tamakazura, and possibly one for our lady of the molted cicada shell who has now become a nun. We’ll see if there are others in the second half of Genji. The look-book and fans don’t need to be finished until 2028 when the whole project wraps up, so for now they’ll live in a research and gathering of supplies state. I do want the fan construction to be recorded and turned into videos.

SAMURAI TRAINING

This may be the hardest part for me. I have not been able to muster the motivation for this, and I’m running out of time. I’m 46 and the sport is not kind to older bodies. Maybe I should make myself a little chart and get some star stickers and go for it like a little kid. I know that motivation is something you build over time through practice, not some magical feeling that will vault me forward in martial practice. Perhaps another 100 day challenge. This is important to my improvement goals and my health in general.

LANGUAGE

I’ve been studying, but I switched to Spanish. Didn’t mean to, I meant to add Spanish to assist in brain plasticity while I study Japanese. Time to buckle down and make sure I do a lesson from each everyday. I want to be able to muddle my way through without too much help when I finally visit Japan.

While I have certainly discussed other projects, the above list is MORE THAN ENOUGH. Everything else can and must wait. Honestly it’s a little too much, but I don’t want to let go of anything else. If I can focus on these and move them all forward, I’d be very pleased with myself.

Starting once again I draw on hope and resolve to motivate me
Steady practice is the way, will this time be different?

Only time will tell.

This is something I’ve been wondering about, contemplating, for quite a while. Now that I’m halfway through I think it’s prudent to make a plan for the end. How do I break down a multi-year project into a 5 minute video presentation? Yes, that’s my intention. I want to either display or enter this project in Kingdom A&S Champs when it’s done in 2028. Not sure which. It may be bad form to try for the position again, and I should just display. I’ll seek advice on that when the time comes.

Obviously it gets entered as a research project. As my notes are physical, those notepads can be presented. I’ll want to have examples to show for each of the side projects it spurs. The first side project was Waka Wednesdays which will continue as its own series on my YouTube channel long after Genji is done. There will be garments to show off, possibly the plain white uwagi, a summer (white sheer) hitoe, and definitely the whole kobai project. I suppose I now have a deadline to finish that. For all of it really. I can include a syllabus/handout for the classes that come out of it; those are still in the development stage. What else … I started making a poetic reference document way back in the beginning but quickly discovered I was duplicating well established work that is already widely available. I’m not sure that I’ll do more with it. I’m considering going back through my costume reference notes and making a look book or something similar to make that research more consumable. Currently that’s just spread out through all of the chapter videos. Ooh, I think that means I’ll need to do a number of illustrations. Oh, and probably a fan or two. And let’s be honest, there’s bound to be something else by then.

Let’s see. Start the video with what inspired the project. Describe the project. Discuss the side projects created by embracing scope creep. Talk about the results, what I learned and next steps. That seems like a good outline.

I may be getting ahead of myself. But these side projects require more planning and more time, so I’m trying to get ahead of the inevitable crunch come January of 2028. The look book especially will take a tremendous amount of work. If I space everything out, I might just be able to finish it all. Maybe. I have a tendency to spread myself too thin.

a garden gently tended through the seasons will bloom ever brighter
when spring comes around again diligent steady work shines

For now, back to the main project. There’s quite a bit left to do and time is short.

Tag: Kobai Project

Revisiting Projects

What to do with the Genji Project