The World Of Geisha

White on White

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 10:29:29 GMT

There are Japanese belts - fukuro obi

click

Chibi Geisha producst at my CafePress shop

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:51:14 GMT

Hello all!
I hope this isn't against the rules or anything, but I just made a CafePress shop with this cute icon-like chibi geisha I drew a while back:

bowing chibi geisha by ~supersushi-chan on deviant ART

I thought you guys might like. :)

Floating World Exhibit

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 05:23:55 GMT

San Francisco's Asian Art Museum has a Floating World exhibit called Drama and Desire going on until May 4th. The pieces come from Boston's MOFA (I have seen some of the MOFA's collection growing up in and in my trips to Boston, they are lovely).

You can find out more, including a podcast and images of some of the pieces, here.

A few things on e-Bay

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:53:19 GMT

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZo-ayameko

Some kimono and obi to complete your collections, I still have to list my 2 katsura wigs and hikizuri and tsukesage - but that can be done tomorrow. I'm going to bed now. ^_^

Oh! I just got a new hairstyle book with Maiko and Geiko inspired styles, I'll have to post a few pictures - it's all in Japanese, but it is all step by step too!

Living the highlife on the taxpayer's dime

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 20:29:45 GMT

07/25/2007

In the old days, charges paid for a geisha's entertainment used to be calculated on the basis of the length of smoldering incense stick remaining. In "Tachigire Senko" (Incense to break up relationships), an Osaka-style rakugo comic story, the head clerk of a shop whose young master falls in love with a geisha comes between them.

In the story, the geisha dies of disease. When the young master visits her house, the samisen he offered to the geisha plays a familiar song on its own, which ends just as an incense stick burns out. The ending is quite moving.

For the first time, I heard a convincing explanation about the dubious accounting of office expenses of former farm minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka. According to vice farm minister Taku Yamamoto, Matsuoka threw geisha parties in Tokyo's Akasaka entertainment district and filed the money he paid the entertainers as office expenses because geisha don't give out receipts.

The vice minister gave the explanation during a speech, adding that he heard it "from the man himself." Later, Yamamoto retracted the comment, saying he meant it "as a joke to put the audience at ease." But on TV, he said, "I did not lie." I should think so. Yamamoto said he and Matsuoka were bosom buddies in their youth.

If his remarks concerning geisha were made up, it would constitute rudeness to "a longtime friend" who is now dead.

Adults are free to do whatever they like to entertain themselves. But unlike water fees that Matsuoka refused to explain in his political fund report, money one pays to geisha amounts to nothing more than a personal expense.

If Matsuoka really included it in office expenses as part of slipshod accounting practices, I have no choice but to say it was improper. He would become a laughingstock among such women, who spend day and night polishing their art to entertain people with refined taste.

In 1989, Sosuke Uno resigned as prime minister after only 69 days in office after a geisha revealed their affair. Uno kept the geisha as his mistress in Kagurazaka, a Tokyo entertainment district, giving her a down payment of 3 million yen. He announced his resignation 18 years ago Tuesday. In the Upper House election voted on the previous day, the Liberal Democratic Party lost nearly half of the seats up for re-election.

It is said that when called by customers they didn't like, geisha paid a tip to men who carried their samisen to snap off the bottom of incense sticks to make them slightly shorter. That way, the geisha would not have to spend too long with those customers.

With election day just around the corner, gaffes and scandals of Cabinet ministers keep popping up one after another. At this rate, the incense stick of the administration will keep getting shorter from both ends.

Original article may be found here.

NARA: A bit of old Japan in a new setting

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 20:18:19 GMT

12/18/2007

A hundred years or so ago, the streets of Ganrinin here were filled with one-of-a-kind nighttime entertainment as kimono-clad geiko, or geisha, entertained customers with their arts, hopping from party to party held in traditional ochaya teahouses.

Dance, music and poetry abounded, fueling the gaiety that was the trademark of this famed hanamachi entertainment district.

Some may say it could never happen again. However, a young geiko has taken it upon herself to bring back the good times and preserve a dying tradition.

In its heyday, from the end of the Meiji Era (1868-1912) to the Showa Era (1926-1989), 200 geiko plied their trade in the ochaya of Ganrinin. Today, only 10 remain, aging testaments to Ganrinin's colorful past.

Kikuno, 35, the youngest geiko in Nara, hopes to introduce the younger generation to ochaya entertainment culture. To do this she has renovated an old ochaya building and last month opened a new ochaya-themed bar called Tsuruya.

The Ganrinin area is part of the old city district near the Kofukuji temple, where the streets are lined with wooden traditional machiya houses.

Masayasu Kinutani, 58, was born and raised in an okiya, or lodging house for geiko. Geiko lived in an okiya and worked at ochaya.

"(The Ganrinin district) used to be a major hanamachi, comparable to Kyoto and Osaka. When I was a child, there used to be close to 20 geiko staying at our okiya. The nights were filled with such merriment," Kinutani reminisced.

During the 1970s, hanamachi culture declined in the face of new, diversified styles of entertainment. Large-scale traditional businesses, the backbone of Ganrinin, disintegrated and many okiya and ochaya were forced to close down.

Originally from Osaka, Kikuno came to work and apprentice with her aunt, who managed an ochaya, after finishing junior high school. Despite her young age, Kikuno is actually a veteran entertainer with close to 20 years of experience. She trained first as a maiko, or apprentice, before becoming a geiko.

During that time, she saw a lot of her fellow geiko leave Ganrinin, but Kikuno was content practicing various traditional arts, including classical Japanese dance, nagauta and kouta songs, and the samisen.

When she learned that her aging aunt had decided to close her tea house in Nara's Imamikadocho, Kikuno felt compelled to "give something back to this town that nurtured me." She took over the 70-year-old building and refurbished it as a contemporary bar, but with a ochaya theme.

Tsuruya opened Nov. 18, with its deep red bar counter acting as the centerpiece. A range of spirits, including sake, whiskey, beer and champagne, are on offer.

Though it's a bar, don't expect to walk in off the street. Tsuruya has kept the local ochaya custom of turning away "first time customers," and only an introduction or reference from a Nara restaurant will get ochaya "virgins" in.

While access to Tsuruya is exclusive, the entry prices are relatively modest: 5,000 yen per drink for women, and 6,000 yen for male customers.

Lucky customers who happen to arrive on days when Kikuno has a geiko engagement can see her dressed in full regalia.

"I want customers to have a taste of the ochaya atmosphere in a relaxed, casual way. That is why I am trying to keep a low threshold for newcomers to the tradition. I want this to be a place where women can get together for some drinks," Kikuno said.

Original article (no photographs) may be found here.

Japan's first ever foreign geisha debuts

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 19:45:55 GMT

Taken from here.

Monday, December 24, 2007 at 04:00 EST
TOKYO — For the first time in the 400-year history of the geisha, a Westerner has been accepted, and on Dec 19, formally debuted under the name Sayuki. Sayuki specializes in social anthropology, a subject which requires anthropologists to actually experience the subject they are studying by participating in the society themselves.

Sayuki has been doing anthropological fieldwork in Asakusa — one of the oldest of Tokyo's six remaining geisha districts — for the past year, living in a geisha house, and participating in banquets as a trainee. She has been training in several arts, and will specialize in "yokobue" (Japanese flute).

Sayuki took an MBA at Oxford before turning to social anthropology, and specializing in Japanese culture. She has spent half of her life in Japan, graduating from Japanese high school, and then graduating from Japan's oldest university, Keio. Sayuki has lectured at a number of universities around the world, has published extensively on Japanese culture, and is also an anthropological film director with credits on NHK, BBC, and National Geographic Channel.

For this project, a book "Sayuki: Inside the flower and willow world" will come out in 2008 with Pan Macmillan Australia. A documentary is being filmed throughout the year.

------------------

Naturally, we all know that Liza Dalby claims the title of first foreign geisha (and that she really was not, at least according to the geisha community and registry in Kyoto). I do not know enough (or have enough contacts, yet) with the Tokyo districts to determine if this is a similar going-on (I do not trust news articles 100%), but from the article it does seem she is going through the studies-- so kudos to her!

Unfortunately she is still not the first foreign geisha as there were at least one other before her, specifically in Tokyo. The one before is Asian (but not Japanese) and there was some talk of a Eastern European woman a few years ago, but I was not able to find facts on that (merely the rumours).

Sayuki's web site can be found here: http://www.sayuki.net/

There is a photograph at the article.

A Maiko's Misedashi

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:56:20 GMT

I have created a community in conjunction with Peter that will post updates regarding his web sites, his various projects, and his schedule. You can find it at petermacintosh

Handmade red and white Kanzashi! For Sale!

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:33:54 GMT

Click the image for details.

Or click my Etsy Shop for more kanzashi! Or email me at hanatsukuri @ gmail.com (without the spaces) for custom orders.

Thank you!

Apprentice geisha in Kyoto commence ritual in preparation for New Year

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 18:55:22 GMT

Apprentice geisha in entertainment areas and at merchant houses began an annual ritual on Thursday called "kotohajime" marking the commencement of preparations for the New Year.

In the Gion district of Kyoto's Higashiyama-ku, geisha and apprentice geisha, or maiko, visited teachers of traditional arts and tea houses, and expressed their gratitude for the past year and hope for an unchanged new year.

The same day the annual year-end cleanup called "susuharai" began, and the process of sending kagami-mochi rice cakes from branch families to those in the main family lineage began.

At the residence of 51-year-old Yachiyo Inoue, the fifth generation head in the Inoue school of Kyoto dancing, rice cakes sent by apprentices were lined up on a display shelf, and geisha and maiko made visits one after the other.

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Original article (including photographs) may be found here.

World's oldest geisha looks to future to preserve past

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 09:01:42 GMT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Her face creased with age and her hearing faltering, 98-year-old Kokin is proud to have dedicated her life to being a geisha, feted by men for her charm, wit and beauty.

But the world's oldest geisha also mourns a time before World War Two when Japan's geisha districts would burst to life as soon as the sun had set -- geishas in silk kimonos would rush by rickshaw to "ryotei" restaurants where they would entertain wealthy men at parties that went on until the wee hours.

These days the streets of geisha districts are quiet in Japan's neon-light cities where nightlife is more about dance clubs, hostess bars and karaoke joints than traditional Japanese entertainment, leaving many geishas nostalgic and unemployed.

"Customers long ago had so much to talk about," said Kokin, who only uses her stage name as is customary among geishas.

"The customers now, young people, they don't have anything to talk about with us. They go straight to karaoke."

Kokin, who wears a green kimono with a pink sash and freshly coiffured hair, still plays the three-stringed shamisen and sings classical songs at parties in the geisha district of Atami, near Tokyo.

She has no children to take care of her in her old age. But she still has memories of her heyday as a geisha, when men hired her by the time it took for an incense stick to burn out.

"I would be cooling myself on a bench in the summer with nothing to do, and someone would ask me if I was free and offer to pay for one incense stick," recalled Kokin, who likes to be called "Kokin neesan" (older sister).

"People would ask for me, even if it was just for an hour," added Kokin, whose photos graced newspapers across Japan when she turned 98 in September.

These days, there are only a few geishas left in a fading profession in which female entertainers sing, dance and engage in witty conversation at dinner parties for exorbitant prices.

Geisha numbers across Japan peaked at 80,000 in 1928 around when Kokin began her career, but now only 1,000 are left. In Tokyo, just 300 are left.

Contrary to perceptions that geishas are prostitutes, they are entertainers. While some in the past had patrons, and perhaps married them, most now live independently on modest incomes.

With their clientele of elite businessmen and powerful politicians shrinking, geishas are grappling with the need to branch out of their exclusive, so-called "flower and willow world" and look for new clients such as tourists and even women.

NEAR EXTINCTION

An economic downturn in the 1990s forced businessmen to cut back on entertainment expenses, while high-profile scandals in recent years have made politicians eschew excessive spending.

A dinner can cost around 80,000 yen ($730) per head, depending on the venue and the number of geishas present.

But even before the 90s, men were steadily giving up on late-night parties at "ryotei," restaurants with traditional straw-mat tatami rooms where geishas entertain, in favor of the modern comforts of hostess bars and karaoke rooms.

As the number of men who have been entertained by geishas' dwindle, the profession has scrambled to survive.

"A president of a company, if he is 50 years old, may have never gone out for a dinner with geishas," said Sumi Asahara, an author of books on the elegant entertainers.

"But without going, you don't know what it's like. And if you don't know, you wouldn't feel bad that this world is vanishing."

Alarmed that geishas are headed for extinction, community groups in Tokyo and tour companies have started making the entertainment more accessible in a trend already seen in Kyoto, Japan's ancient capital and the centre of the geisha world.

In Kagurazaka, central Tokyo, a non-profit organization began offering performances by geishas two years ago, unthinkable in a neighborhood where geishas were rarely seen on the streets and were shrouded behind the gates of the ryotei.

"The geisha's tradition will survive within the ryotei for people who are willing to pay high prices," said Keiko Hioki, vice president of the group, Ikimachi Club.

"But to preserve the geisha's world as part of our culture, it must be better known to the general public."

Surprisingly, the performances are popular with women and the district is now opening up to foreign tourists, with travel agent Michi Travel Japan (http://www.michitravel.com) offering tourists the chance to experience authentic geisha performances.

OPENING DOORS

Ryotei are also under pressure to change.

The restaurants, complete with rock gardens, rare art works and exquisite tableware, have traditionally pampered only "onajimi-san," or regular customers. Like the geishas, they have found that business has become slow and unprofitable.

Sakurajaya, a 64-year-old ryotei in Tokyo's Mukojima district, began hosting large tourist groups with tour operator Hato Bus in 2002. With a group of 30 tourists, one can enjoy a dinner with six geishas for less than 10,000 yen.

"Back when we were busy, we wouldn't have to do anything and customers would be at our door. We used to choose who came in," said Kazuko Amemiya, owner of Sakurajaya.

"Not any more. We let everyone in now."

Sakurajaya also uses its Web site to recruit new geishas, although young women who join the profession can expect an unglamorous lifestyle of rigorous training in dance, classical instruments and performing the ritual tea ceremony.

"Many people are geishas for 30 years and they don't go to lessons. They can't be called geishas, really," recalled Kokin who still takes shamisen lessons four times a month.

"Our world is changing."

Some purists are aghast at the changes underfoot, such as geishas performing for tourist groups. But for Kanae, a geisha from the Asakusa district in Tokyo, saving the geisha profession is about more than just preserving traditional arts.

"So much of Japan has become Westernized," she said. "Many people cannot speak proper Japanese any more.

"But in our world, the best of Japan remains. So I hope more people, both Japanese and foreign, come to experience it."

Original article may be found here (includes a photograph).

Kanzashi for sale on eBay

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 14:13:29 GMT

More kanzashi for sale at my hanatsukuri shop on etsy.

x-posted

Maiko

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:26:51 GMT

gallery of maiko

Konichiwa!

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 19:40:49 GMT

I'm so excited! I don't know why I only recently joined this community. I have been in love with everything geisha for quite some time now. I think it's such a beautiful part of japanese culture. I just finished, "geisha, a life" by Mineko Iwasaki last night. And of course I've read 'memoirs' and that was also excellent. I'm just so enthralled with the "world of the willow" as they say. I'm very happy to be a part of this community. I plan on studying in Japan in the future. It might be a year or two before it actually becoming a serious plan, but it will happen. I also love japanese culture in general. It'd be so nice to have more friends with this same interest. So please feel free to add me. I'd love to get to know all of you!

So, I have a question, where can I get a shamisen? I looked on ebay to see if I could get one but no luck. I really want to learn to play. I didn't have very much luck on google either. Are shamisen expensive? Are there any good sites I can purchase one at a decent price? Along with a book on how to teach yourself the shamisen? Of course, I'm in San Diego so I'm sure if I tried hard enough, I'm sure I can find someone who gives lessons. i haven't tried looking to see if they sell shamisen here in San Diego but I'm limited on transportation so it'd be a lot of effort. and I don't know the place all that well yet. But since I'm lazy I'll start here. Internet has everything anyway. lol. ok well have a great day.

Kanzashi for sale on eBay

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 16:37:33 GMT

More kanzashi for sale on etsy.

x-posted

Kanzashi for sale on eBay

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 20:51:30 GMT

Kanzashi for sale on eBay!

Each of these kanzashi is handmade, of new materials. Click on the picture for details. :)

Or, view the kanzashi I've made on deviantArt or flickr.

X-posted

New Etsy Store

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 22:30:09 GMT

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 18:12:19 GMT

I just opened my own website selling japanese items such as jrock flyers, kimono, anime and japanese sweets. Go check it out. It's really cute :D I'll be updating it throughout the week!

Geisha, maiko and others beauties

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:42:22 GMT

by Haruyo Morita

the gallery

Landscapes on kimono

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 17:51:03 GMT

Waters and mountiens; mist

landscapes on kimono

Uchikake

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 07:31:06 GMT

bridal kimono uchikake.
With crane - simbol of long life

With landscapes

Selling a few things...

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 00:56:50 GMT

]-[i everyone! I need to make some extra money for a verey special project I've set for myself this summer - Refurbishing two geisha katsura I own. I went to Hannari-Ya to get the book & DVD on how to do hairstyles and I have some of the combs, tsubaki oil, and ties to do them with. The only things I still need are a few combs and the hair wax. In order to get the quick cash, I'm selling a few pieces of my collection that I've outgrown/don't wear anymore. Please check under the cut for a pic-spam of kimono & things!

Kakitsubatako@Comcast.Net is my PayPal address (I'll also accept money orders and such) and here is my e-Bay buyers account for my feedback. Shipping will be determined once I've got a serious buyer and shipping can be combined for a lower price! Thank you! Have a lovely day everyone!

Wigs that need fixin'

Wig #1

Wig #2

Even though wig #2 looks to be in good condition it stinks something fierce - if fact, they both stink really, really bad. I'm going to have to take them apart and soak them in vinegar water or something and then gently wash them. Ick. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be happy to have them! For those of you interested, I'll be posting my progress over at my LiveJournal this summer! Won't you all please buy something? For the wigs? @_@ ::wibbles::

If anyone things an item's price is outrageous, I'm more than willing to negotiate.

The kimono:

Kimono #1: Ikate Awase, Condition - Perfect, Material - Silk/Linen exterior, Poly lining., Measurements: Sleeve to Sleeve - 49.25 inches, length - 63.75 inches, sleeve length - 19.25 inches, shoulders - 22 inches. Cost - $25.00.

Kimono #2: Bingata Awase, Condition - Very good (perfect lining, patina on collar and sleeves), Material - Silk exterior, ploy lining, Measurements: Sleeves to sleeve- 48.5 inches, sleeve length - 17.5 inches, total length - 61 inches, shoulders - 21.5 inches. Cost $35.00.

Kimono #3: Ro Hitoe, Condition: Perfect, Material 100% silk, Measurements: Sleeve to sleeve - 49.25 inches, length - 60.5 inches, shoulders - 23.5 inches, sleeve length - 17.25 inches. Cost $45.00.

The Obi:

Obi #1: Odori obi, Material - synthetic, Condition - Perfect, Measurements: length - 134 inches, width - 6 inches. Cost $20.00.

Obi #2: Nagoya hakata obi, Condition: Fair (lots of stains, I would wear it on the wrong side to hide the stains), Material - 100% silk, Measurements: fat side: length - 46 inches by 12.25 inches, skinny side - 6.25 inches by 220 inches. Cost $10.00.

Obi #3: Hakata hanhaba obi, Condition - Perfect, Material - 100% silk, Measurements: 5.25 inches by 116 inches. Cost $25.00.

The purse/zori set:

Purse and zori are silk brocade, condition - near perfect (slight wear on the soles of the zori, purse is perfect) in original box, zori measurements: length - 8 inches, width - 2.5 inches, height - 1.75 inches. The purse is 2 inches wide by 6.5 inches in length with 6 inches of depth. Cost $40.00.

Thanks again for looking!

A questions for the community oka-san, aka The Mods.

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 02:45:46 GMT

I've read the community rules, but I'm still somewhat unclear if what I would like to do would be permitted. I do not have an e-Bay sellers account, but I do have a PayPal account; is it permissible to sell one's <i>Karyukai</i> items without an e-Bay account and directly to the community members? Thank you for any help you all are will to provide.

Geisha

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 03:14:48 GMT

I have been drawing Geisha for awhile but only recently thought to post on a Geisha community. I have a page at Deviant art: http://khallion.deviantart.com/

Futile Love maiko and samurai digital painting

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 02:04:54 GMT

I finally finished it! My big, pretty digital painting I've been working on for a while. I thought I'd share it here since alot of people post their geisha artwork. :)
This one, which I've named Futile Love, is of a young maiko and her samural love. I made his sword red with raining cherry blossoms all around.
I'm not keen on the samurai look, but I think I got the maiko good (except for no hair decor, but you know...).
I was thinking of doing some sort of futile love story comic with them (okay fine, I like InuYasha and I'm not original, but oh well).
Hope you like!

And here's a zoom in on the faces: