Spring is finally returning at the end of a long, dreary winter... aren't winters always that way? And to mark the entrance of the season maiko in both RL and SL are decorating their hair with some cheerful early spring blooms. At HK we've released four new motifs for March:


Momo (桃), the peach blossom, is a lovely and soft motif. Though not as greatly celebrated as the sakura blossom, momo is still a popular flower to watch in the early springtime as it blooms in preparation for its fruit in the months to come.


Suisen (水仙), called daffodil or narcissus in English, is a bright and cheery flower which is familiar worldwide. As one of the heralds of early spring, suisen carries the meaning of good fortune and wealth in East Asia.



Botan (牡丹), or peony, is a lovely multilayered flower. Though most botan don't fully come into bloom until later in the season, wearing them in March represents the hope of possibilities in springtime.



Nanohana (菜の花), known in English as rape blossom or rapeseed, is one of the flowers of early spring and is a common kanzashi motif. A common sight in Japan during the early springtime is that of these little four-petaled flowers blossoming in bright yellow, their sunny colors signaling that spring has finally arrived.


Hope you enjoy these springtime motifs!

Welcome to the Hana Katsuraya blog! A little resolution of mine for 2010 is to continually improve the store, with more hairs, better designs, and always in keeping with the spirit of the karyukai and traditional Japan. So this is one effort to keep everyone updated and give a little insight into the shop as well as my own personal style in SL.

This year HK started off with two new releases, bringing the year full circle for maiko kanzashi in the store. First, there's a triple set of maiko kanzashi for the month of January, featuring motifs of pine, bamboo, plum and even chrysanthemum, all associated with winter in Japanese symbolism as well as luck for the coming year.



Second is a free set of New Year-specific ornaments for maiko and geiko. Two rice ears with texture-change dove, a long kanzashi spine with Chinese zodiac tiger ornament, and an ogi kanzashi with the kanji character for tiger in honor of the year.



Look forward to more releases in time for February, including updated kanzashi and more exciting additions to the shop! Take care!