[Hoshiguma Doji cosplay] Onmyoji Divine Brew Hoshiguma Doji: It's All in the Wine

With the wig cap secured, the black horns banded with gold rings anchored firmly to the crown of my head, the long pointed elf ears adjusted into natural position, and the black-and-gold cropped neckline along with the red cords and hemp ropes around my waist tied tight, this outdoor shoot officially kicked off. As a photoshoot for the Divine Brew skin of Hoshiguma Doji from Onmyoji, we chose a traditional garden featuring a vermilion arched bridge, rockeries, and a koi pond—an environment perfectly attuned to that mellow, convivial, tipsy atmosphere.

The attire centers on a black midriff-baring cropped top paired with a teal-and-green hemline. Because of the exposed waistline, I constantly monitored my posture, keeping my spine upright to ensure my midsection contours appeared firm and toned on camera. The red auspicious cloud tattoos on my legs took me a long time to paint on; since the shoot involved dipping my feet into the water, I moved with extra caution to avoid smudging them. Stepping barefoot onto the rough rockeries and wooden planks was genuinely chilly on the soles, but that chill actually helped me slip faster into that half-sober, half-tipsy headspace.

In terms of props, the red folding fan, delicate wine cup, and gourd were indispensable aids. When holding the fan, fingers had to stay supple and relaxed rather than rigid, coordinating with glancing eyes at the moment of unfurling. When raising the wine cup, I deliberately sought a mellow, slightly hazy gaze while watching the koi darting across the pond. For the cover shot, I sat atop the pond rocks with one leg drawn up, gripping the red fan in one hand while cradling the wine cup lightly in the other. The photographer urged me to relax into the pose, utilizing the rockery as the foreground and the red bridge as the background, while glistening water reflections danced across my face to yield rich, saturated color contrast.

Sitting cross-legged on the rockery required smoothing out the folds of the hemline so it draped gracefully. Leaning back along the railing of the red bridge was somewhat perilous: the balustrade was narrow, and a momentary lapse could have sent me tumbling. Fortunately, good balance allowed me to prop up my torso against the wood, channeling that languid ease to evoke the myriad flavors held within a wine bowl. The outdoor sunlight was brilliant that day—filtering through tree foliage with dappled textures. Holding the wine cup and watching the koi gather below, I truly felt the character's uninhibited joy of drinking freely and savoring the night.

Outdoor photography always comes with little hitches, like wigs snagging on branches or costume ornaments catching on delicate fabrics. Yet shooting in such an authentic environment truly grounds the mind. Though the bowl held no real liquor, the play of light, rockeries, vermilion bridge, and pond full of koi blended all those complex sensations together. In our humble little winehouse, every joy and sorrow melts into this cup. By the time wrap was called, dusk was falling. Packing up the fan and gourd and drying off my damp feet, exhaustion set in, but seeing the captured shots made every ounce of devotion deeply worthwhile.