geimaiko

[geimaiko]

Utamaro's Muses

It wasn't really the image that piqued my interest but the caption under it: The figures have their names remembered under the umbrella of the title "Five Beauties Playing Go". Something rather unsual for my western sensibilites. Oftentimes Muses, even of the most important works of Art, go unnamed or get forgotten. Be it a Renaissance Courtesan in Italy or an idol of the 1800s Paris Art scene, so many of these inspiring women have been reduced to their likeness while their names along with their character, their spirit and their charisma fade under patina. So i absolutely wanted to get to know these ones, these five ladies that inspired Utamaro to this scene and why a game of Go got them all into the same painting.

The name of the game is very Japanese but it was, as many beloved courtly passtimes and cultural ideas of the time, an import from China. Of course it was planted into high society first by traveling diplomats, which then trickled down to more common circles. Utamaro's scene hints to this by uniting women of subtely different ranks.

We beginn with a Geisha of a relatively low ranking Hanamachi in Tokyo: Oseyo of the Hiranoya.

During Oseyo's tenure somewhen during the late 1700s, Shinagawa was a relatively booming Hanamachi with around 200 to 300 working Geisha divided into Oi town and Omori. The nearby Iwai Shrine provided a steady flow of pilgrims and travellers to keep many girls working as full time Geisha or waitresses and or Courtesans. Shinagawa was never a very stylish or prestigious Hanamachi but it was popular enough and it spawned a very distinctly laid back breed of Geisha. We see Oseyo in the indigo colors of the merchant class on her portrait, slipping her hand into the folds of fabric. And even in the Go-painting, she is wearing a very breezy Nagajuban, maybe even the same one, while she stripped the upper part of her Kimono over her obi. Safe to say that Utamaro got to know Oseyo during the summer months, when he captured her wonderfully relaxed charm. And one can also see how Oseyo might have been of a simpler background than the other girls, she is not one of the combatants of the game but merely a bystander, bowing her head down in a childlike wonder over the board. She was still a child when Utamaro met her. We lose track of her in 1793, when she was 15 years old.

One of the players, the next from right to left, is Takashima Ohisa.

We get to know Ohisa a bit better, her life is recorded as follows:

Ohisa was not only a working waitress of the Takashimaya teahouse in Edo, she was in fact the daughter of the proprietor. And the family ran a couple of these houses in the city so she was heavily associated with the name. Utamaro was so enraptured by her beauty that he painted her in a very vigorous manner, heavy eyebrows offset delicate skin. In her portrait, her slender neck is prominently featured but her allure was not only captured in image, for there is even a poem dedicated to her:

Charms and tea are brimming over And neither gets cold! Let me not wake From this lucky dream of the New Year At Takashimaya

She was to be feautured in some other prints and images of the time so she must have been the talk of the town for sure. But how does a lowly waitress of a teahouse come to this type of fame? Well, she was not only a waitress. She was a working girl in Asakusa, outside of the licensed pleasure quarters and far removed from the indentured servitude of industry-style brothels. Ohisa catered to a very different fantasy: That of a respectable girl-next-door that flirted with patrons but beware of Daddy around the corner! As the daughter of the owner she might have been excempt of prostitution but who really knows for sure... As the Muse of art and poetry, her role was certainly not confined to pouring sake or tea. Muses inspire artists to great feats and while an Oiran was a superstar outside of Joe Schmoes grasp, there was always someone like Ohisa to lust over. A girl to bring home to mother. In a way Ohisa was very much like an Oiran, she was an unabtainable fantasy to men because she was an ideal. One only wonders what the real Ohisa was truly like. She found herself marrying into a family of a rice-cake business owner, which seems very fitting for a daughter of a teahouse owner.

We come to the middle where we find Tomimoto Toyohina.

When Utamaro painted her portrait, he was prohibited by sumptuary laws to write out her name. It was one of the measures of censorship of the merchant class, the type of ranks of men that Toyohina would have catered to as a Geisha of Edo. The artist humorously bypassed this rule by jumbling up his subjects name into a play on words in the box on the top right. The reader would have to find out the name of the Geisha by solving the riddle. How easy would it have been for Utamaro to deny his Muse the dignity of a name, but it was not in the nature of the floating world to simply look at these living flowers. The reason for the popularity of Utamaro's work is exactly the lifelike depiction of these girls, just barely out of reach and the fantasy of meeting these beautiful women.

Toyohina would model a few times for Utamaro and always would she wear a Kuromontsuki. She is easily the most stylish of the bunch in the Go-Picture, pensively resting her chin on her pipe holding hand. She seems like someone who knew exactly what she wanted, knew what suited her, knew how to be displayed. One gets a real sense of mutual respect by how Utamaro depicted her, like the referee of a game, like a wise and experienced woman next to these doll-like girls playing grown ups. One very interesting tidbit is how the pipe hovers over Okita's playing hand, seemingly guiding the novice player through the game she is bound to loose.

Maybe the fact that Toyohina was an acomplished allumni of the Tomimoto school of Joruri played a role in her subtle depiction as a mentor. While working in the Yoshiwara at the time, she must have been in extreme demand and very popular, all thanks to her expeptional charm and talents but certainly also due to a long tradition of training performing arts. Toyohina found her match in a feudal lord she became a Concubine to, she was the epitome of a social climber. The fact that we have a true artform and a sense of social mobility tied to the pretty face gives this particular Bijin a unique dimension. Utamaro captured this perfectly.

Next we have the other combatant of the game: Naniwaya Okita.

Okita shares some similarities with Ohisa and Oseyo, the name hints to it. These names all have a humble ring to them, the Mary's, the Sarah's, the Emma's of their time. Little girls dressed in silk, hurled into a man's world. Okita is 15 when she meets Utamaro, who paints her holding a cup in her own portrait, a very fitting framing device but she too must have been more than a simple waitress. Here we read a poem about her:

While relaxing at a teahouse in Naniwacho, No one can fail to stop in here as they pass by the leggy weeds of Naniwa's straits whatever his reason for coming.

Okita would be portrayed a couple of times, always holding a tray with a cup. It must have really been how Utamaro liked to see her, so it seems. He famously painted women in their natural setting, bringing out a very specific trait for his viewer. In the Go-Painting, it's Okita's move and she places a stone on the board but she seems to be outplayed and outclassed by her peers. Why would the Painter have chosen her to play the game in his vision of these five Beauties? Maybe he had seen her do it before? Be it even by a margin, she is the Ingenue, the little bird that has left the nest, now learning to survive in this floating world. Utamaro must have played her too. It is known that Okita left Edo for Osaka before all traces of her are lost to time.

Lastly we see, in the far left, Tachibanaya Otatsu, the most elusive of the five Beauties.

In the Go-painting, she seems to be counting on her delicate fingers and contemplating the odds. It implies that she was only passing by and stopped to overview the game. Even in her busy day to day, she had the time to check in on a Go-match.

The only other depiction of her is not in an intimate portrait but a group painting with all the other Go-girls and some more added. And then the above parody on the Hokusai Katsushika, Act VII from the Play Kanadehon Chushingura, in which Otatsu plays the spy that reads Yuranosuke's secret letter at the Ichiriki in Gion.

The other figures in this scene are old acquaintances: Okita, reading the letter and Ohisa as a Courtesan on the balcony. Utamaro loved painting these girls. The censorship be damned, he was going to find a way to immortalize them. We get a real sense of being in on an inside joke. A niche circle of friends spanning many miles and various teahouses find themselves reunited on ukiyo-e for the whole of Edo to see. And make no mistake about it: Edo was the epicenter of fashion back then, so everyone knew these girls. And we kinda do too centuries later and oceans away. It's the magic of Utamaro's intimate painting style, his dedication to reality while being completely devoted to the ideal in his head.

The scene is wonderfully constructed in symmetry. See how the players turn their bodies away or towards the viewer, hear the noise of the playing of the stones. You can virtually picture how Otatsu is counting the stones on the board and seeing the game pan out before moving on to something more important to her... Her fleeting presence gives the game a welcome decompression after we examined the players and designated the middle girl as the mentor in a learning match between two very unequal opponents.

I can't help but feel a mix of joy and sadness while examining this painting. These girls are so young, still children by today's standards. Emersed in a very adult world, framed by the innocent moment of playing a game, viewed by anonymous consumers that saw them as sex symbols. And then again, they are established in such an individual manner, so lifelike, so lovingly by the artist. Someone who truly captured the essence of his models, he knew them, he respected them enough to name them and revel in their uniqueness. All historical context aside, Utamaro knew a thing or two about painting his Muses. And through his art we get to know his Muses too.

Thank you to @crno-bog for all your input ❤️

Kitagawa Utamaro (1750-1806) —

Five Beauties Playing Go (from right): Tachibanaya Otatsu, Naniwaya Okita, Tomimoto Toyohina, Takashima Ohisa, Hiranoyo Oseyo 囲碁を囲む五美人「橘屋おたつ　難波屋おきた　富本豊雛　高しまおひさ　ひらのやおせよ」

#tokyo #edo #yoshiwara #hanamachi #go #utamaro kitagawa #kitagawa utamaro #ukiyoe #geisha #courtesan #kimono #muse

[geimaiko]

Wonderful pictures and great insight into history.

The question is more than valid and i think you might be very right as to the grandiose claims. Maybe the truth lies inbetween somewhere.. I mean Even back in the 2010s Emika was already up there in age and probably well booked by regular patrons or not really performing outside of her usual schedule.

The news of Yuko as the only Geiko and the catalyst of revival of Otsu hanamachi was probably put out there by the sponsoring collective (? iirc). Many small kagai are sponsored or fueled by some type of corporation or association who fund materials and training in an effort to revitalize culture in their vicinity. I can imagine that Emika might not have had an interest or desire to participate so Yuko stepped into the "now vacant spotlight".

Could this be a possibility?

Geiko Emiyuki 笑幸 from Otsu and Tayû Aoi 葵 from Kyoto, November 2020 For several years, I thought Yûko 夕子 was the only Geiko working in Otsu and when she retired around 2018, the city was left without any Geiko again. However, in 2020, at least two Geiko were working in the city: Emika 笑加, 90 years old at this time, and Emiyuki (pictured above). Emika's parents owned an Ochaya and initially, she didn't want to become a Geiko, but a teacher. She learned to read and write, opposed to most Geiko at the time of her debut, who only attended primary school. This makes me wonder how much truth there is to the statement that Yûko revived the Otsu Hanamachi when she started working there in 2012 and was the only Geiko in the entire city until her retirement...

#otsu #geiko #aoi tayuu #dialogue

[geimaiko]

And you have been such a valuable resource for karyukai enthusiasts here and in the forums! Thank you for all your hard work my friend :3

Hello ! I really admire your blog and knowledge , I want to start by saying thank you for your hard work and dedication ! I would like to ask , what’s the difference between saying 〜をどり and 〜おどり ? I assume they must be read the same , but is it a difference of dialects , type of event , etc. ? If you don’t mind me putting another question there and if it isn’t too personal , what made you create this blog and start diving into this world ?

Hello! I'm glad if you can learn something new with this blog :) As far as I know, yes - をどり and おどり are read the same, but the spelling with "を" is older and likely used to make the "odori" look more traditional. Don't think it is related to dialects or different events. What made me create this blog and start diving into this world? Some time in 2010, I was hanging around on tumblr, followed some Japan-related blogs and came across this picture:

Although I knew about the existance of Geisha in general before (misconceptions mostly), this specific picture was the start of a deeper interest. It was all super fascinating. The colours, the kimono, the seasonal changes... so, a Maiko from Kyoto was the gateway drug for me, as for many other people too :D In December 2012, I was still very confused about everything and joined Tsurukomaiko forums (back then, they were partially open to public). There, I came across the fact that there's Geisha outside of Kyoto too and found it even more confusing. But tbh, there were still a lot of misconceptions like "she wears a wig? Can't be a real Maiko. She wears Furisode, not Hikizuri? Can't be a real Maiko. And what's this weird Obi knot?" (a more advanced challenge was "is she a Furisode-san or an Asakusa Hangyoku?"). The topic of "Geisha outside of Kyoto" didn't let me go, and I learned more and more (over the years, there was more info available on the internet, compared to 2008, when Tsurukomaiko forums started, and 2014, when I actively started collecting pictures and searching for infos. This blog was started in 2016 to share my growing hobby of "Geisha outside of Kyoto" with other people who might be interested in it, and there's still so much to discover! That's it :)

#asks #maigeiko.tumblr #maiko

[geimaiko]

Hello do you know how many tayuu live in Kyoto is kisaragi and Sakuragi still in Kyoto

Hello Anon

From what i gather from pics on Insta it might just be Aoi and Kisaragi left.

Sakuragi has not been spotted in many years and we can safely say she retired. Kisaragi seemingly stays afloat and dedicated as the years pass and Aoi is doing her thing as usual.

Hopefully things will change and we will witness a new Tayuu in our lifetimes ^^'

#kyoto #tayuu #shimabara

[geimaiko]

Congratulations @missmyloko !!! ^----^

It's finally official, so I can share it with you all! The Guide to Kimono has officially opened for pre-orders on Amazon! The release date is June 28th, 2024, so you have plenty of time to get your orders in. It'll eventually be available on Amazon websites outside of the USA to order closer to the date if you don't want to order from Amazon USA, so keep an eye out! But beyond that, all of the kimono shown in the book are from my personal collection, including the one on the cover. When going over ideas about what kimono to use for the cover I only ever wanted this houmongi to be chosen, and thankfully the people at Schiffer agreed. It has such a dreamy feeling to it and I wanted something that would draw the viewer in with something that would be eye catching but not gaudy. You can check out this kimono in better detail here. Needless to say, I am excited ^^

[geimaiko]

Kamisuwa Onsen, collected random infos

Back in March, a reader of this blog asked for a blog entry in the vein of previous "the look of..." features, but for Kamisuwa Onsen 上諏訪温泉. Sadly, there isn't much visual material available and the basic look of the 3 or less remaining Geisha boils down to: Yohatsu, Homongi, light-coloured Obiage, Otaiko Musubi, or the formal look: Tsubushi Shimada, Kurotomesode, red Obiage, Otaiko Musubi. So here, I present some collected random infos you might find interesting.

Kamisuwa Geisha, Setsubun 2014

Dances Kappore かっぽれ Takeda bushi 武田節 Kiso bushi 木曽節 Kohan bushi 湖畔節 Ina bushi 伊奈節 Shôchikubai 松竹梅 (performed in the new year season) Tsurukame 鶴亀 (performed at wedding receptions and birthdays) O-Suwa Takashi お諏訪節 Sukêto bushi スケート節 (Ice skating on lake Suwa) Kirigamine kouta 霧ヶ峰小唄 (ice skating) Onhashira kouta 御柱小唄 Suwa ondo 諏訪音頭 (about the beauty of Suwa throughout the seasons) Okaya kouta 岡谷小唄 (about the Okaya silk industry) Numbers 1930's ("early Showa period"): 200 Geisha in Kamisuwa 1958: 80 1960's: 300 2006: 3 History The first Hanamachi on lake Suwa developed in Nawatemachi 縄手町/畷町 in 1903 (renamed to Otemachi 大手町 in 1909). In the following years, a few Ryotei were established. In 1920, the area of Otemachi 1 and 2 chôme was designated as area for Geisha, so Okiya and Ryotei of the neighbouring Izumichô area 和泉町 were moved there. In the early Showa period (1920's/30's), Okiya that were formerly located in Hamamachi also moved to Otemachi. Kamisuwa had two kenban: Ote kenban 大手見番 and Koyanagi kenban 湖柳見番. In Shimosuwa 下諏訪, it seems kenban had no specific names. In Okaya 岡谷, there used to be another Koyanagi kenban 小柳見番 in the Honmachi area. In Chino 茅野, there were Miyagawa kenban 宮川見番 (current Miyagawacho area), and Eimei kenban 永明見番 (current Nakacho area). Before the around 1969/70, Geisha of these respective cities did not work in other cities. But with the decline of Geisha numbers, the Hanamachi in Okaya, Shimosuwa and Chino were no longer able to meet the demands of their customers, so it was allowed for Geisha from Kamisuwa to pad those numbers.

Chiyomaru 千代丸 in "Showa Meigiren", 1988 Daily life Geisha usually practiced their respective arts (such as Narimono, Nagauta, Kouta, dance) until 15:00, afterwards they went to the beauty parlour to get their hair done, put on makeup and change into work clothes. Ozashiki usually lasted for two hours. Style In the year 1935, Geisha still wore their natural hair instead of wigs, and their hairstyle changed, depending on rank and age. Hangyoku wore Momoware 桃割れ and Oshidori おしどり. Geisha under 26 years wore Yuiwata 結い綿 or Taka shimada 高島田, no info on Geisha between 26 and 30, Geisha aged 31 and above wore Geiko yui 芸こ結い, tsubushi (shimada?) つぶし, icho gaeshi 銀杏返, and yokai maki 夜会まき. Around 1955, most Geisha wore short hair or western updos on a daily base and used Nihongami wigs for work. Becoming Geiko Three mediators who acted as go-between of Okiya and families/volunteers worked in Kamisuwa. According to Manchiyo, who worked from 1930 to 44 in Otemachi, the daughters of poor farmers and travelling entertainers were sold to the Okiya for 15 yen. When the parents met with the Okiya, the length of the girl's service was decided. After becoming employed by the Okiya, the girls were doing "odd jobs", while taking lessons in Hanayagi-ryu dance, Shamisen and other arts. It's like Shikomi in Kyoto, although no specific term is named. When a Hangyoku was ready to become a Geisha, she had to prove her skills in dance or shamisen to a council of dance/shamisen teacher, Okiya owner, senior Geisha, head of the Geisha association and a member of the Kenban. The Okiya spent around 30 yen for an Erikae, while the Geisha had to take a loan of 150-200 yen. If her parents were to borrow money during her time before becoming independent, it was added to her loan. If parents continued to ask for money and the Geisha's debt became too large, they often became prostitutes in order to pay off their debts. Around 2 years after becoming Geisha, they became "Goshugi tori" ご祝儀取り - they receive some of the money from the Gyokudai, but tips were entirely for them to keep. The next level was called "share" 分け, when 40% of all earnings were her own. When becoming independent from their Okiya, they paid fees for food and being registered at the place. Most Geisha also had a patron after becoming independent, which also lead to most of them retiring before the age of 30. @gardengeisha yes, this is about Kamisuwa Onsen located in Suwa-gun in Nagano prefecture!

Sources: https://www.saginoyu.com/blog/10090 (2014) 地方花柳界における〈芸〉と〈色〉諏訪湖沿岸 地域の事例 (2015) 花街文化伝える学校が開校／長野・上諏訪温泉 (2008) はなあかり: 昭和名妓連 (1988)

[geimaiko]

Hello! How are you? Do you know what can happen in a Tayuu-Dochu? I mean, they perform a tea ceremony, play music, dance or anything else? Also, their life is similar to the high ranking girls of Yoshiwara too? If no, how they live in Shimabara? Tayuu received gifts from their customers like geisha did? When is the best time to a girl receive their myoseki? And who can gave them this? Thank you so much for your great blog!

Hey there Anon, thank you i'm doing good. Hopefully you are too.

I talked a few times about Tayuu dochu but one of my favorite posts was this find:

The Dochu is merely the procession from A to B. In a Tayuu's case A is the okiya and B can be anywhere in the country where she is called upon to entertain. Since Tayuu were considered entertainers of the nobility, it would have been quite natural for her to travel to see her patron in his quarters. She was always allowed to move about as long as she was making money. A Tayuu would use a palanquin to travel large distances and would arrive at her residence for the duration of her stay. She would get made up and dressed up and would then move in a procession to her ozashiki destination.

The cortege would include her Kamuro and other members of her retinue, musicians, servants and apprentices and was an ostentatious display of the Tayuu's and her patrons wealth simultaneously. Also, many Tayuu had an almost legendary status and reputation so it was like going to see a major Hollywood star during a pap stroll: Sure it had nothing to do with you and your life but it might have been a curiosity the public would have loved to see.

During the Dochu a sense of religious piety and sternness was appropriate so there was no dancing or singing going while the parade was going on.

The matter of similarity between Yoshiwara and Shimabara is a question of time. Early on in Tayuu history AKA the 1600s, their lives might have been more equal as was their status and their prestige. But by the late Edo period, Tayuu had faded and Oiran had taken over their level of notoriety. Yoshiwara Oiran were not allowed to leave the quarters and not allowed to move freely like Tayuu. Only very few ever left their district to entertain outside of the Yoshiwara.

I'm positive that all Tayuu and Oiran received many gifts from their patrons as it was a way to bypass giving money to the house directly. Tayuu would have adored to receive their pay in a form that was exclusive to them.

As soon as a young girl was designated to become a Tayuu she would receive her first artist name right away. Like in Kabuki today, all great Tayuu transitioned from one name to another according to rank. Many Kamuro received a geimei at a very young age and this changed when they became Shinzo, after their ascend to Tayuu-status they would receive their final Myoseki. The Myoseki was property of the okiya and the boss decided which girl got which name. When a Tayuu retired or passed, she left her name behind for the next girl to use. The Myoseki kinda took a life of its own by sucking up a girls attributes so with time a good name had many connotations of past Tayuu. A prestigious name was only used in some cases and it was an honor to bear an important name.

Thank you for your questions and stay safe.

#kyoto #edo #courtesan #kabuki #japanese history #geiko #edo period #myoseki #tayuu

[geimaiko]

Hello. Do you know why there are no more geikos in Shimabara since 1970s? What seems to be the reason no women debuted as maiko/geiko there and is there any chance there will be geikos again shimabara? Thank you very much :)

Hello Anon

I know i've answered this question in some capacity before but i will try to answer with a fresh mind.

If i'm not mistaking, the decline of Shimabara as a Geiko kagai started well before the 1970ies. The prostitution ban might have even worked against them in some weird way as it kinda drew life and some sort of dynamic out of the district. Seeing that even Tayuu, the highlight of the kagai, dwindled to scary numbers, it was no wonder a Geiko might have found it hard to find new patrons regularly. And why would you come to see Shimabara Geiko if you could patronize a Shimabara Tayuu? So as the older Geiko retired and faded, new blood flowed into more promising quarters.

Many Shimabara native girls who wanted to enter the kagai simply applied in other districts like Gion Kobu, who had a similarly prestigious renommee for Geiko. I mean, i believe when i visited the Shimabara Mikaeri-Yanagi monument, it was more or less a one hour walk from Gion Kobu. So it's not like we are talking two completely different towns to begin with. Girls have travelled from all corners of the country to become Maiko in Kyoto.

Something else to consider is how we observed how modern Geiko sometimes got recruited from other kagai through connections from the Wachigaiya to other okiya in Kyoto. Maybe things worked the other way around too: Even though the karyukai is closed off to outsiders, if you were in consideration to enter the Maiko lifestyle, you might have easily found an open door in Gion Kobu or Miyagawacho because you were still a Kyoto-girl with recommendations.

Eventually, as there was no more Geiko, there was no more network to recruit new Maiko. So it turned into a Chicken-or-egg type of situation. I think chances are slim to none that some brave Geiko will debut by herself in the Shimabara as she needs an official registry and other quality management systems in place. Impossible to think that the Wachigaiya or even any other okiya in Kyoto would support a rogue Shimabara Geiko opening up shop. And it's so expensive to open up an okiya as is, without any help from the finely meshed Geiko network and adjacent businesses, there would be absolutely no chance for them. Just look at all the hoops Aoi needed to jump to open up her own Tayuu-okiya in the Shimabara and now imagine it was a Geiko.

I have not verified following link but i found it a nice blurb to include into this conversation. Mameji, now okasan of Arai was born into a Shimabara Geiko family and was recommended into a Gion Kobu okiya for her apprenticeship. It's an interesting read:

"Arai Mameji-san (新井豆爾さん) is one of the legendary figures of Gion. She debuted as a geiko in 1969, and eventually became the okami-san of Arai okiya in Gion Kobu while for many years continuing her work as a geiko. In 2015 she published a memoir in Japanese (祇園豆爾 ちょっと昔の祇園町), and we thought we’d translate a few places in the opening pages that provide a wonderful sketch of the geiko world over half a century ago......

I was born in Kyoto in Showa 29 (1954) in Shimabara, which since the Edo period was one of Kyoto’s pleasure quarter districts. It is located west of Nishi Honganji Temple, and to the southwest of Gion. In olden times, Shimabara was well known for its many famous, high ranking tayū, and it was the scene of dramatic events during the end of shogunal rule. But by the time I was a child, Shimabara was mostly a prostitution district, though there were also still geiko and tayū working there. My mother and older sister were both practicing geiko in Shimabara. From the time I was small I was enamored of the maiko’s darari obi, which is her symbol. Even though we had geiko and tayū when I was growing up in Shimabara, I didn’t see any maiko. At that time older girls could debut directly as a geiko, but I desperately wanted to be a maiko. My mother said, “well, in that case you have to go to Gion.”

But that seemed impossible, because I was not born into a Gion family, and I would have to find some family that would take me in. At that time there was an ochaya in Shimabara, which is now long since gone, known as Tsurutane (鶴種) and the okami-san was a friend of my mother’s, and she also knew the okami-san of a Gion ochaya known as Shibata (柴田). So that’s where I went to live. I trained for one year as a shikomi-san, and I was taught dance, deportment and other traditional arts.

Until I moved to Gion, I attended schools close to Shimabara. But when I moved into the okiya, I switched schools for the last year of junior high school, and when I graduated I debuted as a maiko. That was in 1969 when I was fifteen. Because I was so eager to become a maiko, even before I moved to Gion I had studied a number of geiko arts. My music teacher would offer me lessons at the Shimabara Kabuki Kaburenjo as soon as I got home from school. I also started learning nagauta by the time I was in third grade. My teacher would say “Hurry up and memorize your lessons!” and I still remember she would kindly tap her forehead on mine. The only lesson I couldn’t take in Shimabara was “tokiwaza” (musical accompaniment for kabuki), and for that I had to go to Gion on the city tram. The first time I went as a child by myself I was petrified. I got on at Shichijo Station, and my mother told me that “as soon as you see the red walls of the Ichiriki ochaya, get off the tram!” Remembering all this brings back olden times."

Thank you for your question!

#kyoto #geiko #shimabara

[geimaiko]

What are the difference between a Maiko and Hangyoku? My understanding Maiko are from the Kyoto district. Is their training the same? Are there subtle differences in their clothing? Thank You

Hello there o/

Maiko and Hangyoku are regional terms for the same profession: apprentice Geisha. Similar how "Geiko", "Geigi" and "Geisha" are three terms for the same thing.

Their training (I think) is mostly the same, there's not as much info on Maiko/Hangyoku in cities other than Kyoto. Dance, tea ceremony and etiquette seem to be common skills everywhere.

As for the looks, they differ drastically. Much more than Geigi throughout the country. Let me refer you to some of mine and @geimaiko's older posts.. Different looks of Chubu region Maiko Different looks of Tohoku region Maiko Tokyo Akasaka Tokyo Asakusa Tokyo Kagurazaka Tokyo Shinbashi Fukuoka (Hakata) Yuzawa Morioka Yamagata+Sakata Nagoya Niigata Gifu Arima Onsen

Hope that answered your questions!

[geimaiko]

Hey there you two!

In my opinion, the truly interesting part of the ask is: "out of costume". That last little sentence raises the question of how Geiko used to live before the war or even before the opening up of Japan after the Edo period.

If we explore the Meiji era in the Karyukai, we will see that Geiko were still considered trendsetters and not beacons of traditional art like today. Up until the 1920ies, many Geiko of Kyoto made a name for themselves as fashionistas by incorporating Western influences into their Kitsuke. Why this tangent? Because creativity is a virtue that is stifled by rigidity and a slave to a house will rarely produce great art. What we consider "A costume" now, was normal daily attire for a Geiko, she would have known nothing else. Even thought the door for modernisation was being cracked open, Geiko were still part of their standing.

Before we go further, let's talk social class. Geiko catered to the middling class of townspeople and merchants at that time, so their nature was way more down to earth and less sophisticated than we tend to envision Geiko today. Modern Geisha are called upon to host royal guests visiting Japan and important dignitaries, but way back, this would have been impossible. And Meiji Geiko didn't even aspire to that. No politician would ever have called upon a Gion Kobu Geiko to entertain. It was simply not how things were done until the early 20th century. And no big loss there: There was good business to be made in the middleclasses because compared to the Samurai, they were uncultured yet increasingly wealthy. No chance to woo a noble Daimyo with your little Shamisen when he wanted to hear the Kakyu. But is was very much part of a Geiko's appeal to be simply reproached, and a good Geisha would have been well connected to her client base as well as to her direct support system. Be it the hairdresser, the Kanzashi maker, the local preist or sweetsmaker. She needed to know them all. In an age before internet it would have been a part of her routine to go around and keep up appearances, do greetings and such. Village life was very lively, even in the capitals, and a Geiko was seen out and about all the time during the day, going to training, going to the baths, making errands for Onesan...

As a rather archaic part of Karyukai tradition, greeting rounds have remained a firm part of the social life of Geimaiko. And it's a wonderful tradition to that but it must hail from very old customs and are still upheld today. We can see the importance such greeting round must hold, how else would they have survived as popular events like Hatsuyori and the Misedashi rounds. Needless to say that a good Geiko needed many connections. Without a phone, how was this going to happen? Making your rounds.

Now, was it a free for all for Geiko in an Okiya? We all know the answer. No reputable Okasan would have tolerated their protegees to cavort around mindlessly. It was all part of a dynamic that fueled the success of a good Geiko house. The only way a Geiko was to be free to move around as she pleases was to have a Danna to pay for her keep. Geiko without a sponsor like that were deeply indebted to their okiya so they needed to, in the name of our Lady of perpetual grind, our Saint Rihanna, work work work work work work.

TLDR.: Okiya usually called for their Geiko to be at their disposal and coordinated their days.

Jimae Geiko with a Danna could move freely because they had an income regardless of how they spent their days,

Thank you for including me :3

Hello! I don't know if you've answered this before, but were geisha in, let's say, the 19th century allowed to leave the lodging house or okiya they were living in? Not as in retiring but just physically leaving the place and be seen by people out of costume.

Hello there, Araeneanox!

I can't tell you for sure, but I can't see why they wouldn't have been allowed to leave the house in their free time. They were probably free to come and go, but restricted to working strictly in their Hanamachi.

@geimaiko do you have any thoughts on this?

[geimaiko]

i loved the addition of @notwiselybuttoowell and wanted to add to that: Yes! The Tayuu's status was very much also artificially elevated and not only by outsiders and guides. It was a way to elevate the powerful men financing the Tayuu in the same breath.

Say a mighty Daimyo spends his fortune and time on a Tayuu, it must only be because she is a one-of-a-kind legend herself. Never would a man of stature discourse with a lady if she was not his equal.

We have some accounts, mostly fictional Kabuki, about how Oiran got locked into contracts with rich patrons. But it was simply not the same with Tayuu. I suspect that many Tayuu only ever had one or two real patrons that supported them over a long period of time, maybe decades. Nothing compared to how Geimaiko or modern Tayuu operate on an hourly basis. But really more like a Danna contract. This is the only way how she can keep up with her studies and also get associated with her patron so his prestige rubs off on her while her talents showcased his learnedness and refinement.

So a good Tayuu might have some donations or wages coming in regardless of how she was spending her time. But she better be on location when her Danna visits the ageya! Or maybe... that's where the idea of a Tayuu refusing her patron comes in. She might take his money but she was not in his court or retinue. She was his equal so it was expected for him to pay while she was free to see him or not. To make things even more dramatic: There was a custom of refusing lovers for political or socio economic reasons and it was so common in the Yukaku that ther is an expression for it - 愛想づかし

A noble Samurai would never EVER have made a fuss over an uppity Tayuu and a real Tayuu on the other hand would have been way too elegant to decline a worthy Danna. So it's a lot about dynamics of Japanese social etiquette. Let's not forget that most Tayuu were in their early teens at their debut and they might not have been overly excited to spend an evening with a Danna in their 40ies.

Ukiyo-e can only depict the outer shell of a Tayuu and an Oiran and i suspect that many pictures are falsely described or outdated. For example we rarely see historic Ukiyo-e with a Courtesan wearing what we would describe as traditional Tayuu fashion (Red Nagagi, Kokoro knot etc.) but even in Kabuki, where Oiran are usually portrayed, there are some Tayuu-tastic fashions:

Oiran could have been theoretically accessible to the common man that enjoyed Kabuki plays but to the rich and powerful, only a Tayuu was an equal partner. And that is why they were elevated into stellar levels of talent and prestige. It was part of social distancing between the upper classes and the townspeople.

Hello! I hope you're doing well, i hope this question doesn't sound indelicate. I know a Tayu achieved their rank based on their artistic abilities and intelligence but i can't help but wonder if their skills in the bedroom also played a role in their advancement? Were those skills also legendary? Thank you and stay safe

Hi there!

I’m doing fine, thank you very much, hopefully you are too!

This is a very interesting question and seeing how the Tayuu have become framed as this romantic and longed for companion, i find it a valid one.

Since we already determined that only a select few had the authority to ever meet a Tayuu, most oftentimes a great Tayuu only ever needed 2 or 3 really rich patrons that she was bound to to become legendary.

Let’s look again at how the Tayuu reached this status in the first place:

Say a promising Kamuro was determined to become a great Tayuu, this already happened when they were around 4 years old as a lot of training was required to “create” a Tayuu in the first place. The more time a girl was given to learn the various noble artforms, the more accomplished a Tayuu she could become, this would attract the attention of a very prestigious Patron who in turn would invest in her studies and subsequently in the young Tayuu’s own Kamuro.

So the Kamuro was oftentimes already bound to her Onesan’s patron, maybe he would take her under his wings one day. But of course this relationship was a platonic one until the girl reached sexual maturity.

We already examined the various paths a Kamuro could take to reach the rank of a Tayuu but in an ideal scenario, her Tayuu sister had a stable income and would groom the promising girl until it was time for her debut. A new Tayuu to be was promoted to this rank by the okiya and ageya because they needed a return on investment quick. And the patrons that had seen this girl grow up to become these incredible women had a very different view on these girls than a new patron. So maybe quite a few took a more mentoring role, than that of a lover. Tayuu were really young too, just look at this shot, she looks like a little girl playing dress up, but her stern expression speaks a lot of her rigid life and the demands bestowed upon her:

Source: Miegiku on Flickr

Lastly, we need not forget that the Tayuu had the prestige to refuse their patrons and i would imagine that many did. Not only because so many of them got into this profession at a tender age while their patrons were much, much older. The girls would habe been more interested in playing with dolls than with men but also because it added to their status, just imagine if anyone could have had them for their pleasure.

So Tayuu entertained relationships only with those who they deemed appropriate and the Tayuu had a very strong sense of her own majesty, this was also bred into them. Of course many people had a say in that too as there is no doubt in my mind that the Bando-Shinzo would have encouraged a long lasting relationship to a particularly wealthy patrons and discouraged the Tayuu of meeting with a client they already had bled dry, even if the Tayuu might have liked him better. In the end, she had to keep the money coming in, the Tayuu would have been very well aware that she was indebted to her okiya.

A Tayuu would have probably known her first patrons from her time as a Kamuro, this gentleman would have been her onesan’s patron too, he was a lover of the arts and fine and elevated entertainment. He had the means to pay for all the pleasures his heart desired, but his most extravagant luxury was a meeting with his Tayuu, whom he helped nourish and groom until she was now a great one. Of course he would never waste time and money with sex with a Tayuu, even if it were possible to buy her in that way. For this, he had many other canals and he could afford to pay any other beautiful girl.

For the Tayuu’s patrons meeting a Tayuu for sex is comparable to booking Beyoncé to have her clean your house: If you could afford this, technically possible even if highly improbable she would actually do that, and in the end it is no good use of your Beyoncé.

I think i could have reduced the answer to the Beyoncé analogy, but there you go.

Thank you for your question and stay safe!

[geimaiko]

Hello I have a question can tayuu married or not

Hello Anon

Modern Tayuu can be married these days. Aoi Tayuu for example has been married for many years and her husband sometimes helps as her Kasa-bearer ^-^ so you can spot him in some photos!

Thank you for your question!

[geimaiko]

Sounds From Beyond

As an out and proud ADHD person i present to you a video that absolutely checks all the boxes. Niche topics are a passion of mine and things don't get anymore niche than a century old tradition within an artform that is essentially an inside joke between the audience of a specific play on location. Explained in layman's terms to boot? Count me in for sure!!

#edo #kabuki #niche #Youtube

[geimaiko]

Summer Party On The Bank Of The Kamo River - A Drama In Two Panels

A beautiful scene, very lively and yet so balanced, it's a marvel of Japanese Ukiyo-e. Somehow it made me stop scrolling as it appeared in my feed. Because of its vibrancy and its subject matter of course... But most of all it was the close up of the gentleman holding the girl's wrist.

Somehow this violent act stopped me in my tracks. Here we were, enjoying the giggles in the summer breeze as we see a colorful bunch of Courtesans gather for a party on the banks of the Kamo river in Kyoto and then suddenly we witness a harsh motion between the only man on the stage and one of the girls. What is happening? I needed to find out.

First a brief overview: We see a party, all women except for a single gentleman in elegant striped attire to the right side of the scene. On his side we see the the protagonists. The lady sitting face to face is his date while we see two Geiko holding shamisen, one of which is witnessing the gentleman's grabbing of the girls arm.

The other Geiko is turned towards the left side of the scene, where two ladies are leaving the platform, maybe elegantly moving on to another party.. or maybe slily backing off as things seem to get uncomfortable.

We are in the Shijoya, as is hinted by the patron's pipe and the girls wearing matching red aprons are servants of the house. They are the actual stars of this painting, so it seems, as they frame the group from all sides and one of them was positioned slap dab in the middle of the scene. Why are these girls so center stage? We explore further.

The servants just brought in the food trays right? The plates still boasting beautiful presentation of what seems to be a Tai sea bream, a celebratory dish served all year round but its fatty season peakes in summer. Apart from that, we see the now very traditional set up of "One soup and three dishes" that was starting to become a staple of Japanese eating habits. As with all trends, this fashion of eating was first implemented in noble households so it's very fitting, that a place like the Shijoya would keep up with the times to accommodate to their desired patrons. Edo had seen the decline of meat and dairy consumption so the fish took the most prominent role in dining. All in all we find our protagonists on what can be considered a golden age of cuisine as new techniques were being circulated in books and prints. Don't be fooled though! We might think that this gentleman is used to this type of spread. Maybe his reaction of gripping the girls wrist stems from spotting something on the plates to his ennui. But no. In fact Samurai were expected to eat frugally in private, rice, pickles and miso. Something like this whole fish would have been an extravagance even for him, remember, we are not in Edo but in Kyoto so this gentleman was probably part of the slowly impoverishing elite. And there is some doubt as to if this young man is of good standing at all. While in Kyoto some sort of decorum was needed to interact with fashionable ladies like this, his simply stripey Kimono in this toned down color might indicate the Iki styles of the common man or simply what he might afford albeit his social rank.

You're probably thinking: "Simmer down with the food talk already! Get to the drama" so let's talk about that inconspicuous little red lacquer plate that seems to be the issue in my opinion.

The red plate is probably for Sake and not the lid of a soup bowl, it wouldn't fit on any of the bowls on the trays anyway. So it might be a vessel that corresponds to the other servants pot. If we look at the four people involved with pot and cup, we could imagine a more cohesive scene: We have the servant with the pot interacting with the Courtesan while the other servant with the cup is being held back. The girl with the drinks is being asked to wait and pour another round while the cup was being taken away. Maybe. There is only this one red cup though. Was the idea that the couple might share it? The Kenshu custom comes to mind where two people share Sake in the same cup to express a mutual understanding. Let's say the servant brought the singular full cup for the patron and after he emptied it, took it back to have it refilled by her colleague when the couple decided to take matters into their own hands and make for a more intimate pouring experience. While the Courtesan waves to the servant for her to bring her the pot in a filigree gesture, the patron grabs the servant's arm. The observer is confronted with the patron being outclassed by his hosts as his distinct lack of privilege is exposed.

The Courtesan is very young and she was probably ropped into this meeting even though this gentleman is of no standing. Maybe she is just at the start of her career and someone has decided this would be a good match for her while she is not yet stable in her ranks. This scene was created around 1800 when the great Tayuu of Kyoto had already lost a lot of their magic sparkle. But this gentleman would have never been afforded the chance of meeting a great Tayuu of Kyoto and certainly not on the river banks of the Kamo river like this. This being way too casual a setting. This ukiyo-e has the slightest notion of middle class. Everything hints to a grand banquet with money being thrown around but upon closer examination, we see people like us. Everyone who ever worked in retail would recognize this behavior in one way or another, truly a story as old as time. We see people at work in the service industry, having to deal with rowdy customers. We see working girls, sugar babies, feigning best behavior in presence of an uncouth patron. We see profiteering socialites, conveniently leaving the scene when things get heated and turning a blind eye to the "amusing" abuse of servitude and we see the pot holding servant, smiling through it all.

It's a wonderful painting on exquisite silk. Displaying the true nature of people despite all the luxuries that make them very much of their time but also quite recognizable to us today.

Summer Party on the Bank of the Kamo River, by Utagawa Toyohiro, late 18th-early 19th century

#ukiyoe #ukiyo-e #utagawa #toyohiro #utagawa toyohiro #edo #edo period #courtesan #geiko #kyoto #pontocho #kamogawa #japanese history #Japanese art #long ass post #japanese food #the horrors of customer service

[geimaiko]

Hi, I've been following you for a long time and I'm always looking forward to your posts! Earlier I saw someone ask you about the myoseki written on kamuro attire and I think that the first kanji might as well be 光 - I know there are some records of tayu named Mitsuougi 光扇 and wanted to add to the discussion!

Hello anon

Thank you so much for your kind message ^-^ yes you might me on to something though it's hard for me to say for sure

[geimaiko]

Hello there o/ since you mentioned Taikomochi in the reblogged post, a question that has lived within my head for a long time re-emerged. I saw some performances by Asakusa Taikomochi, they really are alike to court jesters in their arts (no offense, they are artists no less). Gifu Hokan however seem to be like male Geiko in their performances, which explains how Kikuji is able to train Geiko and Maiko. Previously, I thought Taikomochi and Hokan are 2 words for the same job, but I'm not so sure anymore. Would like to hear your 2 cents, if you have an opinion :)

Hey there Anon

Thank you for your question. I did some research as it's been a while since we last talked about Taikomochi and Houkan so i gathered some information to shed some light on the matter.

Here's what i got:

Houkan 幇間 the first Kanji is means "Help" or "to help" like in "to assist" and the second Kanji indicates a span of time. So in my words a temporary assistant. Their traditions can be traced way back to the 1200s royal courts where prestige granted them access to intimate family settings and constructs of noble houses. While interacting with the nobility they specialized in the intricate court etiquette but their expertise was also that of a master of ceremonies. Coordinating weddings, social gatherings as well as religious and spiritual ceremonies, they needed not only a deep understanding of the intricate ins and outs of court but also to keep up to date on the preferred high arts, music and poetry. So they acted as assistant during processions, managed their own retinue, consulted the head of the house on protocol and were experts in good manners.

We often compare their role to that of the European court jester and it has its merits: During the middle ages up to the modern age European royalty cherished the royal jester as a fixed part of the household. Even though they might not stem from nobility themselves, the court jester was usually part of a dynasty of jesters that intertwined with the noble household. But unique to them was the fact that being the fool, the joker, the life of the party during the stiff banquets left them more freedom to express themselves outside of court etiquette. It was always a good idea to be on good terms with the jester as they knew all the dirty secrets and it is widely acknowledged today that many court jesters turned out to be very intelligent, influential and indeed more capable in political settings than most other courtlings, born and bred into an unwilling role.

Modern Houkan express that the comparison is valid to explain their prestigious history. But history had a more dynamic fate prepared for the Houkan. Fast forward many centuries and the political landscape in Japan had shifted from the old capitals to Edo. During this long time of peace and the advent of the pleasure quarters the ruling lords had no more need for the Houkan as a part of their household. Essentially stripped from their prestige, many could not look back on noble rank, so they looked for a new place to offer their services.

Many of the Houkan found great success in the Shimabara, where their deep understanding of court etiquette and their connections to Tayuu and other desirable entertainment helped them keep influential. It was part of the package deal to book a Houkan during an outing in the Shimabara as a guide to the nightlife and to the quarters highlights. And on the flipside the Houkan added their incredible wit and own entertainment to a gathering.

Some Houkan moved to more middling quarters like Shinmachi in Osaka. There they catered to more common tastes but their role stayed essentially the same. In Edo, the Houkan evolved into a new form of jester, the Taikomochi.

太鼓持 (Big drum bearer) has a more hands on connotation to it. We are now far away from 1200s Houkan. We are now in the middle of the 18th century and the Taikomochi's duties have shifted from the master of ceremonies of the nobility to the tour guide of the Yoshiwara. Patrons of the pleasure quarters themselves are not really looking for artistic entertainment, they don't need or want the Tayuu's deep insight into grand Chinese poetry. They are on the look out for dynamic fun. They want romance, they want good food, they want to interact with the Geisha. The Taikomochi is your ticket in.

We talked a lot before about how Geisha filled in the void caused by the Tayuu's disappearance and the Oiran's distinct lack of talent. Same goes for the Taikomochi. Stepping up to fill a gap in entertainment through song, dance and wit, they managed to transition to a more common public because they didn't insist on remaining a beacon of tradition like they do today. Like the Geisha they adapted to modern tastes and survived. The Houkan survived in the areas where refined entertainment was still in demand but even in Kyoto there are next to none left because the Geisha had the stronger selling point when they too traded in modernity for tradition. Arai-sama is the last to operate in Kyoto and he calls himself Taikomochi. He uploaded to his Youtube just yesterday lol:

In the end the Geisha was the Houkan's downfall because they were quick to adapt. Kyoto became the nation's Geisha capital so there was no need for Houkan. In Gifu, Kikuji and Takeji remain the sole representation of their branch and they have commiserated the rarity of their service with the lack of longevity in their Maiko by mashing both up and creating a joint venture. So actually very Houkan-esque to offer an all-round service. Apropos i found this wonderful line up with Aoi and Tsukasa Tayuu:

Asakusa has been the glimmer of hope for Taikomochi and they elegantly combine their services with the Geisha's. They cultivate a wonderfully tight community, entertaining side by side. One can just picture it being just the same during the Edo period. Featured below, everybody's darling Matsunoya Hatchiko:

Always wonderful to see Bonus Eitarou. And even though it would be easy to simply put it into regional dialects, it clearly says Houkan in the title. So no. it's not black and white. But one is widely known: The term Houkan is older and goes back to a very important position in courtly households while the term Taikomochi is more democratc, more modern and more attune to the townpeople's tastes.

As an afterthought i found it incredibly beautiful to find relatively fresh material on our beloved Taikomochi and Houkan in Japan, the oldest uploaded only a couple of months ago. It seems as if they braved through the pandemic unscathed and in high spirits.

Thank you for your question and stay safe

#karyukai #geisha #otoko geisha #taikomochi #houkan #gifu #tokyo #edo #kyoto #shimabara #tayuu #aoi #tsukasa #kikuji #takeji #hachiko matsunoya #matsunoya hatchiko #japanese entertainment #yoshiwara #oiran #maiko #geiko

[geimaiko]

Reblogging for @siumerghe 's wonderful addition. It's a pleasure to read your points.

Hi. Don't you believe that oiran had to be a little cultured? Less than tayuu but cultured? Because this is said a lot and I want to know your opinion as there should be a lot of conversation before sex

Hello there

Sure Oiran were somewhat cultured, they had some more time in their days to learn some instruments or dancing but it wasn't their main skill, the Oiran were sex workers so it was imperative that their talents encompassed their duties in the bedroom.

Tayuu trained in the arts since childhood but Oiran were prostitutes who reached their ranks because of their charms, beauty and tenacity. So they had different jumping off points to begin with. Many Oiran got to their ranks because they caught the attention of powerful men when they made their first steps as Shinzo but just as quickly an Oiran could lose their position in the ranking and become a lower courtesan too.

I don't know if the Oiran's clients were as much interested in their conversations but for sure in their prestige and their looks, their dress, their pomp, the parties, the Kamuro, the Shinzo, the debauchery in the teahouses.. not that much in their refinement. The Oiran's client was probably not as cultivated himself so he would not be paying good money to talk if you know what i mean.

So, yes i do believe the Oiran were somewhat skilled in some artforms but not in any competition to Tayuu or even contemporary Geisha or Taikomochi as we see those being called upon to entertain at Oiran parties to compensate for the Courtesan's lack of entertainment talents.

Thank you for asking. Stay safe and have a great day!