#karyukai video

[hopefull-mindset]

Design Analysis: Kouyou Ozaki

Have you ever wondered why everyone has assumed Kouyou to be a courtesan or brothel owner when there has been no specification in the main series?

First, there is the fact she refers to herself using “wacchi” (わっち), a pronoun that had been used by Geisha and Oiran alike in the Edo Period. Second is that, while she doesn’t have as many layers or hair ornaments, her large Obi is still tied at the front, and wears a Uchikake over her kimono. An Uchikake by itself is not an indicator, but I would think she has it to accentuate what she’s meant to resemble.

An Oiran is a general term for a high-ranking courtesan who has taken up some traditional arts and refined in their entertainment skills, putting them above the common prostitute. The term “Oiran” (花魁) means “flower leader”. It was said to be used by Kamuro and Shinzo to refer to the older courtesans and eventually became their title. It is theorized to come from the phrase "oira no tokoro no nēsan" (おいらの所の姉さん), but there is no exact and official origin of why they’re referred to as such.

They are exclusive because of their price ranges and the highest ranking had a degree of choice in who they had in their company. They get confused with Geisha often because of their similar skill sets and when you don’t know what you’re looking for visually, but in addition, this is mostly the fault of the Occupation of Japan with many coupling both of them into what they’d call “Geesha Girls” and mistaking Geishas for prostitutes. Many even called themselves a Geisha to bring in business, but Geisha’s legally couldn’t promote sex (that didn’t stop them though sometimes if they needed the cash). They are not distinctive only because one of them can practice sex work and the other cannot. Besides my previous comments on accessories, layering, and their distinctive Obi, Oirans have more extravagant coloring and designs on their clothing.

Not to be confused with the Tayū, whom Oiran had taken after in their clothing. Tayū are not as relevant in pop culture, so do not worry about trying to tell the difference in fictional media because they’re 100% going to be an Oiran unless specified. If you would like to learn more about Tayū and not look at confusing wiki pages, I recommend reading these: Karyukai Workers and Roles, The Look of Oiran Versus Tayuu, and this nice video about a modern day Tayū.

While Shinzo are the new debuting girls late into their training, a stage before that is the Kamuro. Kamuro are young girls sold by their parents to either pay off debts or have fewer mouths to feed, and some were even born into it. On the surface, the deal of their daughter becoming someone so luxurious was desirable and made it easier for them to give her away, but not all of them got that life and had to fight for that position. Kamuro were put under the care of senior courtesans who would teach them the skills they’d need while Kamuro did their chores for them. Kamuro were also considered a social marker of how rich the courtesan was to be able to provide for these girls, but they were limited to only caring for two. It was an exploitative and abusive industry that groomed them into this life. These girls can’t leave because they’re stuck to a never-ending contract that they need to pay off in their work because of the costs of their living, so competition for the top spot wasn’t only for the idealized life promised, but to get a higher paying customer to pay off their contract to escape.

Kouyou’s backstory is heart-wrenching in this context. We don’t have details of how she ended up there or the rest of what happened, but you can’t deny the resemblance between the life of a young girl in the red light district trying to escape her conditions with a man who has promised her freedom and Kouyou wanting to live in the light outside of the Port Mafia’s unlivable darkness with someone who wanted to show her that. Along the same lines, Kyouka can be seen as a Kamuro that Kouyou has taken under her wing and wanted to leave herself. Granted, using sexual favors is manipulation 101 and she could’ve learned this anywhere, but it would make sense if she had learned this from Kouyou as a courtesan. Kamuro weren’t ignorant of what their “Older Sisters” did.

There are many differences between the life of these girls and the bloody one Kouyou had lived in the Port Mafia, and it’s not as if I’m implying she had lived the life they did as we don’t know much, but the similarities can’t be just coincidence. As for “brothel owner”, the Yakuza unsurprisingly stick their nose into the sex work business, so it wouldn’t be too hard to assume Kouyou was looking over these things.

Side comment: “Ane-san” is old-fashioned, so the only time you’ll see it be used instead of just “Ane” or “Onee-san” is in a historical context, or with the Yakuza to refer to the upper echelon female members.

(I refuse to use something not from mayoi, bones art… is ugly)

Kouyou’s crimson hair comes from her name “紅葉”, which can be translated to “Red (Autumn) Leaf”, or roughly “Crimson Blade”. It’s referred to as crimson in the light novels, but we all want to call it deep pink. Either way, both colors are deep-seated in love and she wears it all over. Her uchikake starts light at the top and deepens the lush cherry blossom pink into a bloody red where it drags at the floor with trailing bellflowers (or some type of thin petaled bellflower). Her inner kimono is pure black, except at her shoulder where only a piece of pink is left, and at the bottom are prominent red spider lilies. Their color is emphasized with a transitioning dark shade of purple.

Red spider lilies are infamous because of their connotation with death, but there’s more to it. They’re considered “hell flowers” and could lead the dead to reincarnation. Used in funerals, legends say that seeing someone you will never meet again will have these flowers bloom in your path. They’re flowers that bloom in autumn and the meanings they have are: painful memories, abandonment, passion, independence, giving up, longing, and “never to meet again”.

Kouyou is a mournful soul whose past has never left her, especially in the face of confronting Kyouka’s choice. For these flowers to appear in the inner darkness of her design is significant to how deeply his death had affected her, but also the abandonment of what she regards as her “born nature”. That man had wanted to show her light but had only contributed to the growing darkness that she wasn’t allowed to escape. She had died that day with him, and could only keep walking in the flower field of death she had created. It’s only the piece of light on her shoulder that is left of her past self.

Now, the bellflowers on her uchikake can mean: Loyalty, gratitude, faithful, unchanging, honesty, and discipline.

If the Port Mafia had once been a place of terror and misery, then Mori had changed that for her and made the Port Mafia her home. She is forever grateful for what he has done to make this life livable again and dawns this flower gracefully with light colors. She chooses to wear these light colors over her kimono because even if she resents the hypocrisy of the people who can live in the light without criticism, she still wants some semblance of that dream after her soul has been blackened to that gain. Harukawa, when designing these characters, keeps in mind what organization and type of person they are when color coding them. It’s also with the understanding of what shades will appear darker and lighter in the manga style. Harukawa says that she made sure to give Kouyou light colors and kept her eye from being dark to signify that she’s a good person.

In the manga, her outfit is slightly different from the anime’s design. Her uchikake is paler and does not have any flowers on it, and the flowers on her kimono are much more... vague, so if there are better candidates than my guesses, then be my guest and throw me a bone. From the silhouettes, I will assume that the largest visible flower is a water lily and/or lotus and the flowers growing on the branches are sakura blossoms and/or plum blossoms. It’s fitting considering she is introduced with sakura blossoms falling around her, but they could be plum blossoms too as “花魁” can refer to them in some cases.

Water lilies and Lotus flowers are very recognizable, and I’m sure most of you have seen them around. Their meaning of “purity of heart” comes from how wild water lilies will usually be white. Similarly, lotus flowers are seen as pure because they can bloom in mud without staining themselves. Other meanings water lilies are given are: Rebirth, trust, faith, and kindness. With lotus flowers, they are: Rebirth (again), “to change someone’s mind”, “eases suffering (of the heart)”, and resilience.

Ignoring the meaning of faith and trust since we had already gone over it with the bellflowers, both possible flowers emphasize her good nature and the renewal of life that Mori had blessed her with. Mori had eased the mindless suffering caused by the old boss and changed her mind about what the Port Mafia was to her. She pushed through the muddy waters of the old boss’s darkness and stood her place well in her strength.

Sakura blossoms and plum blossoms introduce two different meanings in their symbolic usage. Plum blossoms bloom in the winter cold in the signal of spring coming, showing the prosperity of life in the hardest of conditions, while sakura blossoms remind us of life’s impermanence and that its beauty can only last for so long. Plum blossoms also can mean: elegance, nobleness, patience, loyalty, hope, and renewal. If these are Sakura blossoms, then they can mean: renewal (again), violence, and hope (again).

In the context of these flowers appearing on her kimono, they mean something different than the renewal of a new era Mori had brought. The remark at the beginning of chapter 17 gives us a personal meaning for Kouyou to what sakura flowers are to her. They are the blooming hope of a girl’s wishes, but they eventually have to drop not long after growing up and facing their reality. Remaining a bud is impossible, so Kouyou, in defiance of this eventual fate of this girl, sees slashing the girl’s heart to be more merciful than the long, doomed drop they all have to face. Kouyou is a bloomed Sakura flower who has already dropped, and her change had started there, not when she bloomed. Even if a part of her had died, she still clings with no real hope.

This is the only image we have of her kimono without anything covering it. This is right at the end of the Guild Arc where they are celebrating their accomplishment. Kouyou sheds her outer bright colors because there is no room for that in this setting and trusts Chuuya and Mori enough to shed any pretenses. They’ve all dressed casually, so she would too. The leaves are meant to be red maple leaves that also show up in the flashback of Kouyou of you look carefully. As I’ve said before, these have to do with her name. The vague firework-like design that shows up are either enlarged spider lilies or chrysanthemum flowers. Assuming these are the white kind, they mean: truth, loyal love, admiration, and sincere heart. However, the yellow kind can mean “slighted love”.

She is sincere inside and out, even if some of that sincerity isn't as pretty as what it looks like from a distance. “A flower that blooms in the dark can only survive within the dark” is a sentiment she lives by after all. If it is a yellow chrysanthemum, then its meaning is what you’d expect from her lonely heart.

Bonus round

Welcome if you have read this far, this is where I stray from her main outfit and talk about outfits that only appear once. This first kimono is what she wore when staying put in the Armed Detective Agency’s capture so that Kyouka would be able to live out a dream she can’t bring herself to live out. The white kimono is covered with columbine flowers. They can mean: risk-taking, good fortune, faith, folly, hope, and specifically for white columbines, “I’m concerned for this person”. Negative/inverse meanings include: The emblem of deceived lovers, ingratitude, and faithlessness.

What this means in Kouyou’s overall situation shouldn’t be too mind-boggling. She is in this room for Kyouka’s sake and is fairly concerned about how this plan of many risks will play out, but has faith in Dazai’s abilities. She is her most stripped version of herself and works with good intentions with Dazai under this idea, so she only wears light. Kouyou though is only left to her thoughts, her own past in that room. She is glad for Kyouka, but it only leaves fear that Atsushi won't be able to live up to something he promised so she ensures that he is committed to helping her into the light and strong in a way that man wasn't able to be. 

The second one is from the chapter art with Kouyou and Mori leading Soukoku away from each other. It’s an outfit that reflects her mindset during her time with the old boss, an inverted palette from what she’s currently wearing. She hasn’t fully embraced her environment yet. Unfortunately, almost all of the flowers and plants are a bit too vague for me to point out. There is only one flower I think I recognize on her right sleeve that looks like a bird, and it is called an Egret Orchid. The only meaning of significance here is: “I think of you even in my dreams.” Some sources will say, “My thoughts will follow you into your dreams”, but I think this made more sense in this context.

This sentiment is regarding that man who had told her such an innocent lie. She not only hid her sorrowful, pure yet broken heart inside the guise of flowering darkness but weaponized this sorrow in her violence and climbed the ranks of the Port Mafia. He is a source of regret, hate, and sadness. He is her only semblance of what hope and love could resemble, and it has become a corrupted and negative thing to her in his death. Pure darkness is the only thing can trust for people like her… but she still ponders what that life will be. His influence had never left her, whether it was for better or worse. 

—

Alright um

I don’t typically do analysis like this as I don’t find clothing all that interesting to look into, but there is merit to thinking about what a character is wearing even on a surface level. It can be a show of their social rank, their job, their interests, their personalties, their culture, etc. but there isn’t always a deeper meaning to their clothing on a theming sense and I can’t find it in me to usually be interested in doing it myself. In most media, the clothing only indicates the era the characters are from and how marketable they can be.

Luckily, BSD is one of those stories that do put heavy consideration on what the characters are wearing and how their clothing changes overtime for some. Obvious examples include Harukawa’s color pallet consideration to indicate what type of person they are and what organization they are from, Dazai’s clothing swap when he leaves the Port Mafia, Chuuya’s many outfits as show of his growth in belonging to the Port Mafia, the coat passed down from Mori to Dazai to Akutagawa, and the Yin-Yang coloring of Atsushi and Akutagawa that stays consistent even in Beast where they swap.

When doing clothing analysis you’re almost expected to overanalyze and stray into your own interpretations of what certain things mean, when sometimes there isn’t any intended meaning. None of that is a bad thing though! You don’t have to rely on an author or artistic word to analyze a thing, but I tend to have a hard time with just making claims like that. So I picked this concept for Kouyou because I have my own ideas for the thought process behind her design that felt right and find it intriguing enough to share. I had actually asked a friend if I could take her from their hands since they had been planning to do their own clothing analysis, but got stuck. So thank you for letting me steal it!

I’m not a historian or whatever, but I do like sharing what I do know about certain topics! Unexpectedly, this took more out of me than I thought. I’ve written more in a shorter time, but I got stuck with having to write about one certain topic than the character entirely. I will probably never do something like this again, at least not with flower meanings. Who knew how much work it was to actually explain what they mean in context in such a big bunch?

The day I finish that Odasaku analysis is when I’ll read The Golden Demon.

[missmyloko]

Hi Justine good 2024

How are You? I hope You are doing amazingly

has been a while since I ask somenthing here

But yesterday I found this interesting channel

https://youtube.com/@sayukiasakusa?si=iaSeyupsw1wbqTqB

And I Say interesting because does not look quite real and remind me to the foreing that was impersonate a geisha that we talk a Lot last year, don't remember the namr.

However I notice she has other geishas and aprentices on her videos plus on her young interview looks like she can actually play the instrument she Say is fluent in, and actually quite look like kimicho who is australia as well could there it be slme comnnection there or is some sort of fake, because in My years learning About the karyukai I nevera heard anything of her and she claims having like 10 years in the profesión bu she works outside Kyoto of course.

What is your opinion?

Best regards

That's the account of Fiona Graham, who went by the name of Sayuki. She's the one who was kicked out by the Asakusa Geisha Association for performing without permission and who I've written about before here. Her misadventures have come to an end now though as she passed away last year.

[karyukai-is-life]

April 14th, 2013: Video of tayuu Usugumo (薄雲) and Sakuragi (桜木) of Wachigaiya Okiya in Shimabara performing at a festival.

Video from Sonia Ponka on Youtube.

[freekarp]

D'espairsRay Reddish [LIQUIDIZE] Live

[geimei]

Unrelated to maiko and geiko, but hats off to yuzuru hanyu for his gold medal! Yet another amazing Japanese person dedicated to his craft, much like everyone in the karyukai :)

I have to be honest with you on this one: I’m not interested in sporting events. Like, at all. Watching football (or as Americans would call it: soccer) is the worst punishment for me in existence, I hate it with a burning passion. And not even because I dislike the sport or find it super boring to watch or play, I just, first of all don’t get the hype around it, and second of all, said hype is incredibly annoying to me.

A small excursus: I live in Germany and football is HUGE here, sometimes I feel like it’s its own religion. We have our own national league that’s quite…intense (Bavaria Munich wins every year anyways, so who cares?) and the entire country goes batshit during European Championships and World Cups. It’s everywhere. There’s no escape. And if you don’t watch every single game, know all of the players by name, position, height and nickname and buy at least five different items of merchandise with Germany’s flag on, then you might as well just turn yourself in for treason.

I don’t dislike the sport, I actually don't mind casually watching a game once in a while, I just hate the hype around it and this weird peer pressure to watch it and suddenly conjure up some weird type of national pride. My mom and I often say that, if we could afford it, we would buy ourselves a lonely island in the North Sea and just go into hiding during World Cups.

I actually only watched two games of the 2014 World Cup (because I was forced) and didn’t watch a single game of the 2016′s European Championship because I often have to work all weekend, and there was NO ONE at the restaurant! We had like 7 guests all evening! Why on earth were we even open in the first place? The entire village looked like a Zombie apocalypse had happened every game night!

And well, my dislike for football-related events has turned into a general, and admittedly completely unjustified, dislike for all big sporting events. Although I have to say that I understand the hype around Olympic games a lot more and they are also a lot more intersting to watch, if I do ever happen to watch them.

But, I did do some research about Yuzuru Hanyu after receiving your ask, and he seems genuinely amazing. He is so young and he already broke 12 (!!!) world records, won two olympic gold medals, won the World Championship two times as well, and he is the fist Asian man to ever win Olympic gold and multiple world championships, and he somehow still finds time to study at an university! 

Also, I heard that he overcame a very serious injury just in time to compete at the Olympics, and then he won gold! And I saw a video of him after he won the medal, asking the people in second and third place to get onto the podium with, so he generally seems like a very sweet person.

And figure skating is definitely one of the most awing, interesting to watch sports I could think of, and I caught myself watching a lot of videos of Yuzuru Hanyu skating, so thank you for opening my eyes a bit ^^.

[acemeetup]

Name: Natalie "Mahka" Smith Age: 26 Gender: Agender Romantic Orientation: Sapphic/Homoromantic Looking For...: Friendship and/or dating!

Greetings Aces of tumblr. I'm Mahka and I want YOU to be my friend (or possibly girlfriend) because I need more Ace people in my life. I live in Atlanta, Georgia, USA in an apartment with my older brother and best friend, Drew. My main passions in life are Japanese history and language, geisha, and video games. I'm an avid writer of fiction and reader of nonfiction. The Heian and Edo periods are my favorite in Japanese history and my favorite video games include the Mass Effect series (Tali = <3), Skyrim, Final Fantasy 10, and Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn.I am completely, utterly, totally obsessed with geisha, specifically the geisha of Kyoto.

You know how most people follow/fangirl over celebrities and movie stars? That's how I am with the geisha of Kyoto, Japan. In addition to following the latest news in the Karyukai, I also study geisha (and courtesans like Tayuu and Oiran) from a historical, anthropological, women's studies view point. At this point I am able to tell how long a girl has been a geisha, what hairstyle she's wearing, what kanzashi (hair ornaments) she's wearing, what month the photo was taken, and I recognize a good majority of geisha by face at this point so I could most likely tell you her name. 

I'm looking for more Ace friends or, ideally, an Ace girlfriend relationship kinda deal. I would love someone who I can gush and fangirl with over video games or Japanese history/culture/language or geisha. Must be 420 friendly because I'm love my responsible safe recreational drug usage- I don't care if you don't partake, just as long as you don't get upset when I turn up to the chat stoned. Additionally, massive bonus points will be awarded to all pagan/magic practitioners, as I myself am a practicing Chaote, but if you're not into the occult I'm more than capable of keeping the magic missile casting nonsense to my occult side blog.

Contact Info: Main Blog: http://geekybones.tumblr.com/ Discord: mahkala#7271 Skype: deyjalin

FOR MODS: Since you can't submit multiple photos at once and the receiver has to add them, here is a link to the photos I would like on my profile:

http://notestobones.tumblr.com/post/158593887277

If you would be so kind to delete this mod note before posting my profile I would be very grateful. <3

[kamishichiken]

Spotlight on: Katsumaru 勝 丸

Katsumaru is a senior geiko and one of Kamishichiken’s four jikata (musician) geiko. When Katsumaru was younger she was a tachikata (dancer) geiko and chose to focus on music later in her career. This year she was one of six Kamishichiken geiko who received an award from the Ookini Zaidan Foundation for geiko over 65 wanting to pass on their knowledge of the traditional arts to younger generations. In 2011 she received an award from the Ookini Zaidan foundation honoring geiko over 60 who have worked for 30 years or more in the karyukai. You can hear her singing in this video. 

Photo sources: 1/2/3/4

[missmyloko]

Hi Justine me again once more XD

Sorry for the bunch of questions and comments

Today I came to ask if you know are the Maikos and presumably super senior geiko or maybe an okasan on this video https://youtu.be/nwMCz-N5_44

And if you can tell us a little bit about them and if they are still active

I'm pretty sure I have seen the senior Maiko elsewhere but I can't remember when and where and by the hairstyle I believe they are from gion.

By other side I want to point out that we have a minarai wearing a handara obi with is rare to see in Footage, very cool but her lips looks like they are both painted, do you think they are of its just what it seems do to her face? Or perhaps these are pontocho Maikos?

Plus I have some other questions regarding some comments that I saw.

A selfcalled Japanese man told that they were not real due to how slow the walk and the quality of their outfits. I must say that he is wrong they look pretty legit taking into consideration all details on them, like the hairdo, their collar, kansashi and more, but the handara obi looks quite flat in my opinion the fabric doesn't look like any others I've seen and the way is tied is quite not like others handara obi I've seen in maikos, are these one used as well or maybe it was due to the season? We know that in Somer and warm months lighter kimonos are worn and this could be the case. But I would love to know your expert opinion

Another comment also said that the women who stops them and then walks with her it's a Geiko using western clothes, due to the way her hair is tied up, this could be the case but I'm no so sure because I've seen that hairdo in other elderly woman in Japan not only Geikos, however it could be the case or she could be an okasan, she gives me the vybe of one . But can you tell if she is one member of the karyukai indeed? And if she is do you know who she might be?

And to end this round of questions, at the end of they video when the girls and the woman meet eachother I don't see the girls properly greeting her. If that allowed of posible? They seem quite close but it's surprising for me a moment without formality and is expected in those cases specifically in public even if they were I. A rush. What is your opinion?

My apologies again for. The bunch of questions, I hope you can help me with my doubts and thank In Advance dear Justine.

I hope you are doing amazing

My very Best Regards:)

They're maiko Sakiko (紗貴子) and minarai Chisako (千紗子) of Nishimura (西村) in Gion Kobu. The woman who stops and talks to them is one of the okasan of Gion Kobu (I can't remember which one off the top of my head) and appears to be turning them around to avoid the crowd along Hanami Koji, so when you're on your way to work and are in a rush big, formal greetings just don't have time to happen. They do acknowledge her and bow to her when they first see her though ^^

[missmyloko]

Hi Justine 😊 thank you again for the answers, Know I know how the movie is called and I'm able to find it. I hope is on English, I haven't found it yet to watch it but I trust I will. I guess is a Great contestation to memoirs of a geisha to show them how to doo a good movie about it at least in the visuals and some shorts that is what I've seen so far.

about the serie, yes is that one I remember the name.

And about the movie of my third question. I found is called tsukigata Hanpeita from 1982 that looks is supposed to happend during Edo period as I se in the visuals, I just know of it for this video

https://youtu.be/YHHk_JJBMow

There is an scene when a Maiko is dancing and singing at the same time, would that be something that could happend back then or oiror WW2? I also read that the actress is called Hibari Misora, a popular singer and actress that as I also read, has singed some other popular karyukai songs, in the channels there are more videos or her singing

Have you seen that movie? there are some other productions about Maiko and geiko that you can recommend us ?

Thank you for letting us know Justine.

Best regards 😊

A maiko dancing and singing at the same time in an ozashiki is something only done in the movies as the karyukai just doesn't operate that way. However, during the finale of the Kyo Odori the maiko and geiko on stage for the Miyagawa Ondo are encouraged to sing along to the lyrics, so technically maiko can dance and sing at the same time (just not in an ozashiki). Unfortunately I have not seen that movie. As for ones that I have seen, I can't recommend Maiko Wa Lady enough! It's a charming movie that takes the premise of My Fair Lady and puts it into the world of geimaiko. The outfits used for the production were borrowed from the Daimonji okiya in Kamishichiken, so they're authentic and respectful to the source ^^

[missmyloko]

Hi Justine, I'm glad you are fully recovered by now, many thanks you very much for your kind answers, were really helpful:) thank you very much.

Today I have another one, following the recent mishedashi of hanafusa okiya, could you please give us some information about their foundation, history and current Okasan?

And also who else whore that famous kimono that you point out in the mishedashi post you did?

Also could you talk us about their formers geikos. kikuno, kikutsuru and kikumaru, who had great careers and were really popular but "recently" quit a few years ago, you can also mention please their famous onesan? (I can't remember the name but read. Awhile ago she was a very successful one that took this as their last little sisters.

About the ones that I mentioned we can see them appearing in the Kikuyu's documentary back in 2005, and they can also be seen in some videos of the Miyagawacho odor, bs there is even a interview with kikumaru just before she retires, but they were not very public so they remind still kind like. Mystery. As well is quite interesting how this okiya hasn't debut any maikos or geikos In so long, I believe they take their time on it because each of their girls requires a lot of work to be that popular as they are and maybe, is quite admiring in my opinion

Before I go, has been a kikutshino there?

Thank you in advance Justine

my best regards

☺️

To be honest, I don't know too much about the history of Hanafusa, beyond that they've been open since at least the 1980s and their current okasan is former geiko Kikumi. Kikumi is the biological mother to Kikusana, so one day we may see Kikusana take over Hanafusa. Nearly every Hanafusa maiko has worn that famous kimono at one point or another, whether it was for their misedashi, Shin Aisatsu, or Setsubun. It really stands out, so you shouldn't have a problem finding photos of it (just search for individual geimaiko's names). Kikuno debuted first of the three girls in 2000, followed by Kikutsuru in 2002 and Kikumaru in 2004. Kikumaru debuted directly as a geiko, so she didn't have a maiko period. All were the imōto of Kikuryū (菊柳). After Kikuryū retired her three imōto would then be onesan to the next bunch of Hanafusa girls, including Kikuyū, Kikune, and Kikuyae for Kikuno, Kikusana for Kikutsuru, and Kikushino for Kikumaru. Girls tend to come in waves for okiya, so it's not unusual for them to have many debut in a couple of years and then have none for a long stretch. It's just how the karyukai goes ^^

[missmyloko]

Hi Justine, me again with more questions, sorry 😅

But first I hope you are better and have properly healed from the COVID, please take care.

About my questions here they go

Do you know if the Hanafusa's Okasan in Miyagawa-cho is still the same? I know she used to have some health problems A while ago which make her retired from the profession, but still was very passionate about Karyukai and very hard working on her okiya. Dhe rven was willing to share a lot about it and I saw her at least 3 documentaries, looks like a charming lady and sae she was a beautiful Geiko as well, but Never revealed her name. Do you know anything About her history and how she became Hanafusa's Okasan? She told us a little about her story in kikuyu's documentary but I'm still very curious about her.

Do you also know if she stills hold a mai-geiko henshin studio? she appears working on it in various videos, but has been a while since I saw it on it.

I hope she is doing great, and ai heard they have a new shikomi, I'm looking forward to meet who she is, has something been revealed About her yet? and I remember that Hanafusa had still a maiko active, is she still active and there are Erikae plans?.

I also have a question about how to create a name in Japanese, is there any reference for a person than wants to translate an write her own but ina Japanese way, by example mine is Irene and I know how to write it in hiragana and katana but I want to write it i a japanese way using the proper kanjis that usually gives special meaning to the name, once a a Japanese professor write it for me but I don't remember how he did or if he use any kanji on it.

Thanks You in advance Justine 🤗

Unfortunately I don't know much about about the Hanafusa okasan. I don't think that Hanafusa runs their henshin service anymore though. Hanafusa's shikomi is now a minarai! She just did her osakazuki the other day! Her geimei is Kikushizu, but I'm unsure of how it's spelled at the moment. Hanafusa hasn't had a maiko since Kikusana who left at the end of her apprenticeship, so they won't be having an erikae anytime soon. As for writing your name in kanji, Kanji Zone is pretty good ^^

[karyukai-is-life]

A beautiful video of Tomitsuyu (富津愈) and Tomitae (富多愛) of Tomikiku okiya in Gion Higashi as maiko dancing the “Gion Kouta”.

[karyukai-is-life]

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September 25th, 2017: Maiko Chikasaya (千賀明) of Komaya Okiya in Miyagawacho and the photographer, Takenaka Kunihiko, playing a game at an ozashiki.

Video by Takenaka Kunihiko (竹中邦彦) on Facebook.

[karyukai-is-life]

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September 25th, 2017: Maiko Chikasaya (千賀明) of Komaya Okiya in Miyagawacho dancing at an ozashiki.

Video by Takenaka Kunihiko (竹中邦彦) on Facebook.

[missmyloko]

I have seen a video of a girl that hired a geiko and a maiko at an ozashiki and danced gion kouta with them.

It looks pretty cool, but some people in the comments tought that was disrespectful.

What would be the thoughts of the people of the karyukai about it?

Would it be rude as they are kind of like trying to put themselves at the same level of the geisha or it would be seen as a sing of appreciation of their culture and their art? Also, what is your opinion about it?

Thank you for taking the time to answer this question ☺️🌸

https://youtu.be/ViCXoQ91bBs

I believe I've answered this question before at some point, but it doesn't hurt to look at it again. Basically when you hire geimaiko at an ozashiki you're there to have a fun time with them. In days past it was common for people to learn the shamisen and to play along with the geimaiko as a way to show their appreciation for their art. To learn one of their dances and to perform it with them is just another way to show appreciation for their art and a way to enjoy yourself at your own party. Obviously something like this doesn't happen everyday, so I think that it might confuse some people or be taken as offense, but in reality it's far from that. From what I heard of the party afterwards the geimaiko were quite impressed! In my opinion, I don't think that everyone should go out and learn a dance or song to perform with geimaiko as this was an exception coming from a karyukai enthusiast, but it was really nice to see that customers can still appreciate the gei of geimaiko on such a level ^^

[missmyloko]

First of all thank you for all this information especially about the foreign Geishas it was really interesting. I knew about Sayuri from videos on YouTube but the information you put together was extremely helpful so I now have better view about that and know the whole story/truth. I didn't know about Kimicho but saw her on a video on youtube channel called Rachel and Jun briefly but I also found what you wrote to be extremely helpful information and it was sad when I saw she has retired and the negative things she went through. I apologise I am not up to date with Geisha/Maiko due to trying to learn everything from online and trying to get up to speed with limited resources. Please correct me if I made a mistake.

My question is there any information about the other foreign geishas/people in the traditional art? Are foreigners still allowed in the traditional art or has the rules changed? I only know the update from 2017 from a travellers blog/website so finding you here on Tumblr has been really helpful because I have been absent from learning Geishas for years and trying to get back into it.

Thank you.

Hi there! As of a few years ago there were a handful of foreigners who were geisha scattered around the country, but I believe right now there's only one, a Chinese woman named Rinka who's active in Shimoda. The karyukai seems to slowly be opening up to foreigners in the smaller cities, but right now the bigger cities are still resisting their acceptance ^^