Tamanohada is a 125-year old soap company that has occupied a factory space in Tokyo since their founding in 1892. They’ve survived the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and World War II so it seems only right that they make items that are associated with good luck, like these fish-shaped welcome soaps.
Tai, or sea bream in English, has been caught and served in Japan for centuries. And there are various theories why it’s considered to be a lucky fish like its bright red color, or the fact that it lives a lot longer than typical fish. But the most commonly accepted theory is simply because of a pun: the word medetai (happy) ends in tai.
Tamanohada sources all the organic, raw ingredients for their soaps themselves so they’ve always had flexibility in the shapes and sizes of their soaps. But the actual inspiration for the tai welcome soap came from traditional wooden molds known as rakugan, or kashigata. Tai is a common motif and the company, somewhat on a whim, thought it would be fun to create soaps based on the symbol of good-luck.
The Tamanohada Welcome Soaps are available in 3 scents: Red (Pomegranate), White (Lily Blossom) and Black (Brown sugar).
March 29, 2017 at 6:46 pm
OMG that is adorable! I want one! It’s so pretty I don’t think I could use it though.