#kaomise-soken

[missmyloko]

Spotlight: Shibori (絞り) Hikizuri On The Eight Day of Fun I present... a look at one of the most dynamic types of kimono found in the karyukai: shibori kimono! Worn in the coldest months of the year (December - March) due to their thickness, shibori hikizuri are among the most fabulous and expensive types of kimono found in the karyukai. Shibori (絞り) is Japanese tie dyeing and is extremely labor intensive. The most popular type of shibori is called Kanoko (鹿の子); translated as "Deer/Fawn Spots," they're made up of tiny circles that are hand tied, one-by-one, to make fabulous and intricate patterns. In the karyukai, the most popular motif for shibori is flowers (it is the flower and willow world after all!). In these examples we can see chrysanthemums, wisteria, cherry blossoms, and more! The best time to see these beauties in real life is in December during Kaomise Soken and in February during Setsubun; this is where maiko dress up in their finest, and there's no finer kimono than a shibori one! Images Mameyuri (豆ゆり) Kanohiro (叶紘) Hidemai (秀眞衣) Kimisora (君宙) and Kimishō (君翔) Kohatsu (小はつ)

[ayashiame]

Saturday, December 2nd, is our yearly event of Kaomise Soken. I will most likely, and unfortunately, be occupied during this event. However, many of my sisters will be there to view this year's kabuki clips. If you have never seen Japanese Kabuki before, please come join us to relax and enjoy an in-world stream at our Kaburenjo (theater). maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kyoto/189/202/31

[dummy-kanji]

December letters #4 por Onihide Por Flickr: Maiko Ayano from Pontocho at the front of Minamiza theater

[umeno-okiya]

Maiko Umehina with her just signed maneki kanzashi

(SOURCE)

[kaelula-sungwis]

December letters #1 by Onihide

[geimei]

Kaomise Soken 2017: Famous Sisters Maiko Marika, Geiko Satsuki and Maiko Mitsuki (Tsurui Okiya) of Gion Kobu at the Minamiza Kabuki Theater.

During Kaomise Soken, all Maiko and Geiko of Kyoto get to watch the first performances of the Kabuki year at the Minamiza Theater. Afterwards, they ask two of their favourite actors to sign their special maneki-kanzashi, the actors playing male roles sign with black ink, and the actors playing female roles sign with red lipstick.

Kaomise Soken takes place every year from the 1st to the 5th of December, and every kagai goes on a different day. The schedule changes every year, this year, Gion Kobu was fourth. Maiko and Geiko often wear some of their finest kimono to this event, examplified by the gorgeous snow-kimono Marika is wearing.

Source: 森 康信 on Twitter

[koikishu]

2017 Maiko Karyukai Wallpapers - July to December

[hamamuraislandssl]

December Kanzashi for Junior Maiko [Modeling] by Zashiki Gi Via Flickr: Every December, the names of kabuki actors who will perform for the upcoming year (beginning that month) are hung on the entrance to the Minamiza Theatre in Kyoto. Maiko and geiko view the first performances at the beginning of the month in an event called kaomise soken. Maiko wear a special mini version of the name boards, called maneki, and have the kabuki actors of their choice sign the white tags. It's quite an occasion! These kanzashi for junior maiko will be available soon, and can feature the names of 6 different kabuki actors.

[umeno-okiya]

Kaomise Soken in Kamishichiken: Maiko Katsuki (Daimonji okiya), Maiko Fumiyuki (Katsufumi okiya), Maiko Ichiaya (Ichi okiya), Maiko Umehina, Geiko Umeshizu (Ichi okiya) and Geiko Naokazu (Nakasato okiya)

(SOURCE)

[umeno-okiya]

Kaomise Soken with Umeno Family

(SOURCE)

[missmyloko]

Weekend Update 10/12

Things are in full swing leading to the holidays, so let’s get down to it! Karyukai News -There’s currently two minarai active in Kyoto: Kimimoe (君萌) of Toshikimi (利きみ) in Miyagawa Cho and an unknown girl from Yamaguchi (やまぐち) in Pontocho. Both are expected to have their misedashi before the end of the year. -Mamewaka (豆わか) of Shibata (柴田) in Gion Kobu had her misedashi as a jikata geiko on Thursday (December 7th). -Kaomise Soken dates were re-arranged once again this year as the Minamiza Theatre is still undergoing earthquake resistant upgrades.The order this year was: Miyagawa Cho: December 2nd Gion Kobu: December 4th Pontocho: December 6th Kamishichiken: December 7th Gion Higashi: December 8th -Someone uploaded a video of the new NHK maiko special. Another special focusing on Mikako’s erikae just aired on Friday (December 8th), so hopefully we’ll see video of that soon too ^^ -Kotohajime takes place on Wednesday (December 13th) and is the final major event of the year. Blog News -Many features have been a bit slow due to recovering from surgery, but for the most part everything is back to normal ^^ -What’s In a Dance? Part 9 looked at Harusame (春雨) - Spring Rain. -The Random Fact of The Week looked at how geimaiko walk together for formal events. -Mylo’s Pick of The Week took a look at Kikuyae (菊弥江) of Hanafusa (花ふさ) in Miyagawa Cho. -Your questions and comments have been amazing while I’ve been recovering from surgery! So many of you sent in well wishes that really helped me to get back the normal flow of things, so thank you all for sending them in! The most popular questions for the week were: -What are some of your favorite sakkō pieces? -Are the Somaro maiko real? -Do you think geiko and maiko in Kyoto are united? -About karyukai rivalry -Why do geimei rarely have more than five syllables? 

[missmyloko]

Hello, hope you are doing well. Thank you for sharing so much of your knowledge every day.

Do you know what is the rotation for this year’s Kaomise Somen please? Also, at what time do Maiko and Geiko arrive usually?

Thanks in advance.

The rotation for Kaomise Soken isn’t known until the day of the performances, so there’s no way to tell who will be visiting and when. Like other activities it may be cancelled this year due to the pandemic, so we’ll just have to wait and see ^^

[missmyloko]

What’s In a Book? Part 31

On The Fourth Day of Fun I present... a new book review! This one’s a different from normal, which you’ll see soon!

Book’s cover courtesy of myself. Gion Maiko No Shiki: Yujiro Itakura Shashinshū (祇園舞妓の四季 极倉有士郎写真集) - Gion Maiko of The Four Seasons: The Photo Album of Yujiro Itakura by Yujiro Itakura (极倉有士郎) (No ISBN) Date of Publication: 1989 Language: Japanese Format: Softcover Availability: Really Rare Price: $30+ Errors: 3 (Sort Of) This book is exactly as the title suggests: the photographs of author Yujiro Itakura spanning the entirety of the 1980s. I reads like a book by Hiroshi Mizobuchi in that it’s organized into sections based on the seasons and is full of absolutely gorgeous photographs! The book is laid out as follows: Spring (春) Begins with images of the Miyako Odori, both on stage and at the tea ceremony. This is followed by images of maiko in May with their beautiful wisteria kanzashi. My favorite image in this set is of now natori geiko Mamehiro (豆��) with wisteria shidare framing her face.  Summer (夏) With the heat comes the Gion Festival, but more importantly it sees maiko and geiko getting dressed up in their finest for Hassaku. This entire section is made up of primarily Hassaku images and a gorgeous show of kuromontsuki with a small sprinkling of random images taken in September. Autumn (秋) From there we go to Onshukai and the great performances by the best that Gion Kobu has to offer, including Yachiyo Inoue IV and V. After Onshukai comes Kanikakuni Sai with maiko from Shibata (the outfits and geimei give them away). Winter (冬) December sees Kaomise Soken and Kotohajime, but more importantly it brings the pagentry of Setsubun and Obake! Finally, we end with Oishi Ki and its grand performances within the Ichiriki. Becoming Brilliant (華やぐ) This section shows off minarai, misedashi, sakko, and erikae. This is my favorite sections as the outfits are sumptuous and includes famous geiko such as Takazuru (孝鶴) and Katsuno (佳つ乃). It ends with the kanzashi calendar. At the end we’re treated to short essays by various people associated with the karyukai, including the actresses from the movie Gion Bayashi, and a map of Gion Kobu ochaya.   The only errors that I could find were with a few image placements, such as an image of a geiko and maiko in December placed in the Summer section. They don’t detract from the book in any way, but sort of stand out as being not in the right sections. But now, we’ve reached the elephant in the room: availability. I’ve only seen this book for sale once, and I bought it right there and then. I can’t seem to find any other copies floating around anywhere, which is really sad since the images are beautiful and the book acts like a time capsule of the 1980s in Gion Kobu. If you can find it then it’s well worth it just from a historical standpoint.  Rating: ✪✪✪✪ (out of 5)

[missmyloko]

Could you please explain what Kaomise Soken is?

Kaomisen Soken (顔見世素見) is when maiko and geiko go to visit the Minamiza for the first kabuki performances of the year at the beginning of December ^^

[missmyloko]

Hi Missloko, Maiko Katsuhana is finally wearing sakkou! I just saw her in YouTube video. Also in the same video Maiko Tomoko is wearing yakko shimada! While Maiko Mitsuki is in Ofuku. Do the seniors have the option of Yakko Shimada for Kaomise Soken? Or was she wearing it for another occasion?

Yes, Katsuhana and Tomoko are currently preparing for their erikae, as is a third maiko (this info has been in the 2019 calendar for a while)! However, clear images of them that are not private have yet to be shared, so they haven’t been shown on here yet.As for kaomise, senior maiko don’t wear yakko shimada, so Mitsuki could have only been wearing ofuku. Her tegara is pink now though and her erikae is expected sometime in 2020 ^^

[dummy-kanji]

December letters #3 por Onihide Por Flickr: Maiko Tomoyuki, Chizu and Mitsuna at the front of Minamiza theater