Gojouzakatoukimatsuri

I like pottery or porcelain wares, which have tasteful impression. Called by friends of mine in high school days, I strolled around this china festival in Gojo slope. Stalls providing a lot of porcelains lined up along the both streets from north to south crowdedly. It is held around upper parts of August, the hottest day of summer, a little bit earlier of Bön period. Especially hot and humid in Kyoto summer like a steamed egg. We had tofu or bean curd lunch (which refreshed us!) nearby before shopping the wares.
The owners of the shop are from the youth or fresh to the skilled ones. A friend of mine found her favorite and bought a good-​taste maccha tea cup for twenty thousand yen or so. Unbelievable! Incredibly pricy! In another stall a middle-​aged woman sold her art works. One of them was depicted with a picture of a Heian court lady in Junihitoe (twelve layered ceremonial costume). She explained to us, «This is Murasaki Shikibu (a famous and popular female writer or novelist during the Heian era).» As the woman was very beautifully drawn, I doubted if she was really Murasaki Shikibu or not. This is because I taught by Japanese teacher in high school days that Murasaki Shikibu was malicious and ugly. I said to her so, then she laughed at my explanation and told that the model would be changed to Seisho Nagon (also famous female essayist playing active role in the same era). It was fun time to talk with pottery owners, peeping in and out the stalls. I’m a stingy woman, so I bought nothing. If you stop in, you may be a treasure hunter.