So long, Umechie! Saying goodbye to the most famous maiko

I arrived to Kyoto just in time to attend a farewell party of Kamishichiken’s top maiko, Umechie. During her super long career (exactly six years as a maiko!), she became one of the most recognizable faces in town. Her debut was marked by an NHK TV program which, thanks to YouTube, gained popularity all over the world. Three years later, the fans were anxiously waiting for Umechie’s debut as a fully-fledged geiko. But, sadly, it wasn’t meant to be.

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Glittering glamour of the sakkou hairstyle

The goal of a maiko’s career is to become a geiko. As for every other special occasion, this particular event is also celebrated with a meaningful ceremony. It’s called erikae (衿替え/襟替え) or, roughly translated, “turning the collar”. The collar worn with a geiko kimono is indeed different than maiko’s one—completely white, in the front and the back, carefully sewn onto a light pink undergarment (襦袢juban) which replaces maiko’s red robes. It’s not only a visual change but a mental transition as well. After the maiko adapts the new collar, she steps into an entirely different path. From now on, it’s expected from her to be more autonomous, liable, mature, and diligent, as she slowly adjusts to working for her account. It’s the final exam of her art skills, the one she’s been waiting for since she first stepped through the door of her okiya.

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Discovering Humanity of Geisha—Why It’s So Crucially Important?

Maiko Ichisumi on the day of her official debut, photographed by Hideki Ishibashi for 55maiko.net

We, as a media audience, have certainly witnessed quite a few important social issues within the past year. Some of them led to an unnecessary extreme, yet they all raised an important question—how to treat women, minorities, and traditional culture possibly in the most respectful way?

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Elegy of the shining leaf

 

A usual, sugar-coated image of a maiko stands in the opposite of Tatsuko Takaoka’s story. Tatsuko’s—later named Chiyoha, Teruha, and, eventually, Chisho—fate was heavy with tragic circumstances tied in a clichéd metaphor of blood, sweat, and tears. These three eras of her life were stained with fame, jealousy, depression, suicidal thoughts, faith, hope, and unfulfilled love.

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The turning point of the jikata geiko profession

Geiko Toshimana of Miyagawacho playing the shamisen

Geisha are strongly connected with the traditional Japanese dance, yet some of them choose a slightly different career path. Being a maiko automatically means a commitment to the art of kyomai and making it a priority during the whole education process. However, after a ceremony of erikae artists are free to focus either on dancing or music. Such choice is, most often, quite obvious—normally, maiko attend excessive dance training for few long years, and it’s difficult to become a full-time musician afterward. Some of the hanamachi allow to blend these two fields of interests, and there’s no need to choose only one specialty. Music career in teahouses can establish an excellent opportunity to excel as an artist and utilize natural talents.

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Wintertime in the World of Flower and Willow

Maiko Mamefuji of Gion Kobu under maple leaves in December

First days of December are always exciting within hanamachi. Although it’s slowly getting colder, maiko and geiko get into festive mood regardless. The very first week of the month is exclusively dedicated for kabuki—special “Kaomise/顔見世総見” review is held at Kyoto Minami-za Theatre. It’s, for sure, the highlight of the whole winter season. Kabuki plays during Kaomise gather the finest actors, celebrities, and guests—including geiko and maiko who get seated at the collateral galleries inside Minami-za. The theatre itself is decorated with wooden maneki boards on the facade that create a peculiar program of current performances, as the maneki are decorated with the actors’ names respectively. This year, however, Minami-za is going under seismic-protective construction, so Kaomise was moved to the ROHM Theatre of Kyoto. The maneki plates still can be found at the new location, as many Kyoto-natives cannot imagine the wintertime without a sight of these wooden tabs.

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Oshiroi makeup – an enigmatic mask

One of the most significant parts of a geisha’s appearance is a thick white makeup on the face and neck. Oshiroi (白粉, lit. “white powder”) is also essential for kabuki actors, nihonbuyo, jiutamai dancers, and other performing artists. While geisha wear this makeup for their everyday engagements, oshiroi is normally considered as a conception used strictly on stage. Performing arts in Japan happen to be connected with creating an individual character, a brand new role of the artist. It’s visible especially among geisha and kabuki actors—they adopt new first names and surnames upon entering the world of theatre and dance. Accordingly, they create a brand new character—connected to the pseudonym—with oshiroi. A dancer’s face has to be still as a mask—and oshiroi allows this kind of an emotional retreat. Sensations are locked in the dancer’s body motion and eyes expression. There’s no place for smirks, tears, nor frowns.

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Hair tangled up with performing arts

A dancer’s ensemble wouldn’t be complete without a proper hairstyle. The most accurate and suitable hairstyle for wearing a kimono on stage is a complicated nihongami. However, it is not made of the performer’s real hair. Even long time before the modern era, artists used handmade wigs (katsura). For actors and dancers, wigs were (and still are) an essential part of the stage costume, as certain hairstyles enhance and express the specific roles.

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Art of dance and music among red leaves of fall

As autumn comes and leaves’ tones turn slowly into orange and red, all of the Kyoto hanamachi get into a festive mood again. October is the month of the sophisticated dance recitals which, unlike April’s Miyako and Kyou Odori, are not that much “touristic”. In fact, most of the tourists may have no idea about these shows, and the audience mainly consists of conscious spectators connected with this unique world of art. Tickets are usually hard to obtain and, if you ask me, maybe it’s better this way. Autumn dances of the Old Capital guard the mysterious aura of the upscale Kyoto entertainment.

Maiko Toshisumi and fallen maple leaves by Chee from kyoto.flowertourism.net/maiko/

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Within the modern geisha community – the brief principles

Artykuł został oryginalnie opublikowany pod tytułem “Gejsze w Japonii – między tradycją a współczesnością” przez Centrum Studiów Polska-Azja (http://www.polska-azja.pl/m-superata-gejsze-w-japonii-miedzy-tradycja-a-wspolczesnoscia/)

The article below was originally published by me as “Geisha in Japan – between tradition and contemporaneity” for Poland-Asia Scientific Center (http://www.polska-azja.pl/m-superata-gejsze-w-japonii-miedzy-tradycja-a-wspolczesnoscia/)

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