Chou Market

Chou Market
Type	Textile and Clothing Shop
Country	Konan
Inhabitants	Chou Family
Episode	OVA 2 - Episode 3
Chapter	Fushigi Yuugi - Chapter 91

Chou Market (南盤大超, Nán Pán Dà Chāo) is a famous clothing store in Eiyou's center textile district. The shop doubles as the Chou family home. It appears in Volume 16 of Fushigi Yuugi: The Mysterious Play, OVA 2, Shugyoku Den, and The Prologue of Korin. It is also mentioned in Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden.

Background

Textile making and apparel design has been the specialty of the Cho Family for over 200 years. The original shop was located in a village about half a day‘s walk from Eiyou. Although small, the shop operated at an impressive level, which warranted the opening of a second location in the capital.

The second shop proved to be a valuable investment and the Chou family fully relocated to Eiyou. Over the course of two centuries, the Cho Market gathered much wealth and acclaim among capital merchants and nobility, passing through the eldest, male Chou family members.

The shop specializes in textile creation and custom clothing. Their original designs reflect the height of Song Dynasty fashion, including colorful beizi (褙子), luxurious silk pibo (披帛), and intricately pleated baidiequn (百迭裙). Although most of their clients are women, menswear is made-to-order.

Story

Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden

200 years prior to Fushigi Yuugi: The Mysterious Play, the Genbu Warriors and the Priestess of Genbu, Takiko Okuda, visit the original clothing shop. They meet the owner, a Chou family member, who dresses the party in clothing appropriate for the warm Konan climate. She mentions that her family has just opened a second, larger fabric shop in the capital before giving them directions.

The Prologue of Korin

Twenty one years before the arrival of the Priestess of Suzaku, the prevailing owner, Teishin Chou, marries a woman called Ryouan, who gives birth to Rokou Chou, the eldest and heir to the shop. Three years pass and Ryuuen Chou is born as a Suzaku Warrior. Korin Chou, the youngest, follows a year later.

Shugyoku Den

The shop exterior at night

The shop's notoriety continues to grow in the years following "Ryuuen's" death, even when rumors about their family life spread. A wealthy merchant's daughter called Bihou Kyou becomes a frequent customer and makes a habit of boasting about her fine clothing. While strolling through Eiyou, she is bumped into by Tamahome's childhood friend, Fuka, on accident. Bihou dramatically complains that her custom Chou robes have been ruined. But the two girls are suddenly attacked by the serpent-like pet of the Kutou sorcerer, Mimadou. They are saved by Tamahome, but Bihou's brand-name clothing is tattered and covered in mud.

Bihou and her father, Senmei Kyou, then visit Chou Market to have her measurements taken for new robes. When Senmei is unable to pay upfront, the shop attendants offer him an extension, but Bihou is embarrassed and sees the extension as a slight to her social status. Later in the novel, Bihou dresses Fuka in her new Chou robes as part of her makeover to "convert delinquents."

Fushigi Yuugi: The Mysterious Play & OVA 2

The shop’s first floor

The shop makes its first illustrated appearance in Chapter 91.

Trivia

• The shop's name literally translates to "south, plate, large, ultra," but is most likely fortuitous Chinese characters strung together to form a title. There is a smaller sign above the door with a character referring to the family name.
• In the anime, the shop’s sign reads: Sho Ban Dai Cho (商盤大迢, Shāng Pán Dà Tiáo), literally meaning “commerce, plate, large, ultra” or “super market.”
• In The Prologue of Korin, the shop name is written as Cho Dai Ban Sho (迢大盤商, Tiáo Dà Pán Shāng) literally meaning “ultra, large, plate, commerce” or “far away traders.”