GRAND TRIO > THE GREAT PIECES

F45, Hatsune (the first letter - A Tale of Genji Monogatari)

F46, The Warai-Hannya (The Sneering Demon)
Hannya, a horned demoness that symbolizes frightfulness and bewitchery, is usually represented by a tenacious woman who has been transformed into a ghost that seeks revenge for losing her lover to a rival. Jealous rage and extreme sorrow embody the spirit of Hannya.

F53, Kaguya-hime of Taketori Monogatari (The tale of a bamboo collector)
It is considered the oldest tale in Japan written in the Heian period (794-1185). One day, an old bamboo cutter went into a bamboo clump to collect bamboo, and found a glittering bamboo and cut it. There was a beautiful girl from the bamboo and the old man gave the girl a name "Kaguya-hime" and brought her up to his home. The girl was so beautiful that five young nobles wanted her to marry them, but she refused all of them by giving them knotty questions impossible to answer. She even did not accept the emperor's invitation and finally flew to the harvest moon in the eve on August 15th (August 15th in lunar calendar is Mid-autumn Day in Asia).

F54, Ryu (dragon)

F55, Setsubun (the eve of the first day of spring)
Setsubun originally means "dividing the season" into Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, and the eves of the first day of these seasons called Setsubun. But today, only the eve of the first day of Spring, February 3rd is celebrated because this is approximately the same day as the New Year of the lunar calendar.

The design on the pen describes a story of Setsubun. One day, an Oni asked for beans from a woman, alone in her house. He liked her and tried to serenade her in an effort to win her love. But the woman was not moved and the ghost cried. The woman said " If you love me, give me your treasure". After the Oni gave her everything he had, she kicked him out of her house, throwing beans at him. The words "Oni wa Soto, Fuku was Uchi" are chanted to this day, while throwing beans outside of the house by Japanese families. The fearful-looking Oni is in fact very humane in this scenario, and the helpless woman is actually strong and very realistic. The Oni was running away from the woman's attack by throwing beans under his invisibility-working surplice. The big Kanji, "Fuku" means fortune for the family. The leaves of holly are for exorcizing ill luck.