YUKARI
Among one of the most breathtaking sights of the night sky, Shooting Stars have been revered with awe and stupefaction. Commonly known as shooting stars, meteors are caused by the entry of small pieces of rock, dust, or metal from space that hits Earth’s atmosphere at an extremely high speed – hence heating up and leaving a trail of light in the sky, which people occasionally see at night. Using the Fuse-zai-shiki in Togidashi (burnished) Maki-e technique, the shootings stars motif is beautifully captured against a midnight black background, bringing attention to the details. Given the magical association with shooting stars, it is believed that these stars bring good luck. According to legends, Gods would occasionally get curious and open the dome of heaven to peer down on Earth. In doing so, this led to some stars being released and eventually becoming visible as shooting stars. Hence, if one were to make a wish while the star is still lit, the Gods might be able to hear and grant the wish. Among modern Hawaiian-Japanese, it is believed that if a shooting star approaches in one’s direction, the collars of the kimono must be opened to admit the good luck.